Paved With Good Intentions
by Orange-Green
Summary: AU, Santana hasn't seen Brittany in 10 years. She's dreamed of the moment she would see the blonde again, she just never imagined it would be in the middle of a murder investigation.
1. Chapter 1

AU, Santana hasn't seen Brittany in nearly ten years. She's dreamed of the moment she would see the blonde again but she never expected to it would be in the middle of a murder investigation.

A/N – I was inspired by a ridiculously good crime fic on lj and thought I'd give it a try. The title is They Say Bad Things Happen for a Reason and seriously, it's awesome. This is rated T for language. There are F-bombs but that's about it. I don't own anything you recognize.

Paved with Good Intentions

Santana Lopez wiped a hand over her face tiredly. It was well past time for her shift to end.

"What is it this time?" She asked.

"Lover's quarrel apparently, boyfriend ends up with five rounds in him, killed pretty much instantly. Girlfriend is already down at the station." Puck replied as if this was an every day occurrence. It almost was.

Santana Lopez and Noah Puckerman had gone from best friends in high school to one of the most effective detective teams in the City. They went through the police academy together after high school when Santana had been in the middle of her first real personal crisis and had no idea what to do with her life. Without Puck, Santana wasn't sure where she would have ended up. The two were closer than ever and had managed to become partners after years together on the street beat.

Santana smiled at a high school memory that flashed through her mind. She and Puck hanging out just about every Friday night after the football games, drinking smuggled beer in the back of his pick up truck. Quinn would be there, lecturing about how they were going to hell. And Brittany, Brittany would also be there.

At the thought of blonde hair and blue eyes, Santana's smile faded. Ten years ago, if anyone would have said that Santana and Brittany would have lost touch and not spoken in that many years, Santana would have smirked before decking them. It would have been impossible. They were inseparable and madly in love.

But, times change, people come and go as the seasons of life change and all the other stupid cliché sayings Santana hated. The brunette found herself wondering again how almost ten years could have passed without the blonde in her life. She quickly tucked the painful memories of their split out of her mind as they pulled up to the latest crime scene.

The sun had long since set and the flickering streetlights cast a dim glow over the block. Puck pulled up to where the black and white cruisers were parked with their lights flashing. They flashed their badges at the uniformed officer standing by the door and slipped past the yellow police tape. They made their way to an apartment in the back of the rundown building.

"What have we got Rico?" Puck called as they finally reached the room where their latest homicide went down.

Rico was a burly man in his late forties but looked much older. He liked to joke that he had been a detective since before Santana and Puck were even thought of by their parents. He turned at the sound of their entrance and waved slightly.

"This fella sure pissed somebody off. Looks like a .38. Four rounds to the chest, one in the gut and one…across the room, lodged in the floor. The shots to the body look to be from pretty close range. This poor bastard didn't have a chance."

Santana approached the body, her lips set in a grim line. She'd witnessed a crime scene much like this plenty of times in the past. She briefly wondered if she should be concerned that a scene of this sort had basically stopped having any real effect on her. She glanced around and took in her surroundings.

Decent apartment for the sketchy neighborhood. The décor was a bit random, as if the owner couldn't decide on a style. Her eye wandered to the kitchen, which was brightly colored, and an absolute wreck with dishes everywhere; on the counter, in the sink. The difference between the kitchen and the living room was drastic, in color and atmosphere.

The living room, where the body was currently being photographed, was supposed to be warm and inviting based on the deep, rich color choices but instead felt cold and barely lived in. Santana felt certain the chilly atmosphere was due to more than just the body in the floor. There were no pictures, no magazines, no evidence at all that any living being actually spent time in the room.

Santana glanced back once again toward the kitchen adjoining the living room. A duck magnet on the refrigerator caught her attention and she found herself thinking about Brittany for the second time in just a few short minutes. In fact, she couldn't shake the feeling that the whole kitchen just screamed "Brittany" to her. The color, the brightness, the absolute mess, the box of green tea on the counter, and the duck magnet. She chuckled at the thought of a kitchen reminding her of Brittany, considering the blonde had only managed to cook two meals in the entire time that Santana had known her that didn't involve a fire of some sort.

She wandered further into the apartment trying to get a feel for the place and for the victim. There were hardly any personal affects anywhere in the place, nothing more than generic art pieces that merely matched the wall colors. The other rooms were just as cold and empty as the living room. But Santana eventually found herself in a bedroom and felt her heart clench painfully as yet another reminder of Brittany surfaced.

The bed was unmade and the sheets were rumpled. A pair of ballet slippers was sitting in the windowsill and there were items of clothing strewn about everywhere, much as the dishes were in the kitchen. Even the scent remaining from whoever lived there had a warmth to it. This room had a warm lived in feeling to it that made Santana slightly uncomfortable. She immediately remembered beds with rumpled sheets and two bodies tangled.

Santana sighed and left the bedroom, heading back to the body, her reason for being in the apartment at all. _Focus Lopez, do your damn job, _she thought to herself. She squatted down next to the body. Rico was right, definitely close range. She glanced up at the man's face, nice looking guy, late 20's to early 30's, clean cut, nice clothes. Minus the blood and five bullet holes of course.

"What the hell did you do to deserve this?" She muttered to the still form. Santana stood back to her feet and saw Puck and Rico talking off to the side. "You say the girlfriend is already down at the station?"

Rico turned back and nodded in Santana's direction. "A neighbor called in the shots. She was sitting right there on the couch waiting when the first unit showed up. The gun was in the middle of the floor, near that stray bullet. She didn't put up a fight at all; in fact she didn't really say much of anything. Got a call back, evidence tech found traces of gunpowder on her right hand. We're just waiting for the lab to get back to us on fingerprints on the gun. Seems pretty open and shut."

Santana nodded. "Who is this guy? We got an ID yet?"

"Name's Jackson Vicks according to his drivers license. We don't know much else yet." Rico answered. "Haven't even gotten a name out of the girl yet as far as I know. Like I said, she didn't say much. But she's waiting for you down at the station Lopez, I'm sure you'll crack her."

Santana smirked. She would indeed. As anyone who knew her from high school would easily attest to, she had a knack for cracking people. Santana was a damn good detective and she was proud of it.

"Easy Lopez, that big ego of yours still has to fit into my car." Puck chuckled, knowing precisely what she was thinking, as usual.

"Please," she scoffed, "I'm good and we both know it so why pretend otherwise? I'll have this bitch singing in twenty minutes. If I'm wrong I'll buy you a drink."

"Fuck that, you'll pick up my whole damn tab."

Santana laughed in agreement as they stepped back out into the hallway. Before exiting, she turned and yelled back to Rico, "I want everything you can find on this guy on my desk tomorrow morning." Rico grunted and continued processing the crime scene without looking up.

Santana and Puck made their way back out into the street and Santana groaned when she realized it had started raining. She pulled her coat tighter around her thin frame to ward off the night chill.

"Perfect night for a crime of passion." She muttered. "Let's get this over with so I can finally go home."

A few minutes later they pulled into the station. Santana strode to her desk to drop off her belongings and pick up a tape recorder and notepad for the interview. Before she could head to the interview room however, a blonde slid up beside her and leaned against her desk, arms crossed and smirking.

"Lopez, you're keeping late hours, as usual. You're always working yet you can't seem to manage to get a single report to me on time."

Santana looked up and smiled wryly. "Evening Fabray, don't mind me, just getting back from another shots fired and dead body call. Sorry for thinking that's a little more important than typing up a report on that drug dealer you're about to nail."

Quinn Fabray was one of the most respected District Attorney's in the City, even at her young age. She was thorough and hard-hitting. And with much the same morally superior attitude from high school, she was bound and determined to clean up the City.

"Santana, we go to trial in two days. I need that report."

"No you don't." Santana replied. "You know that case like the back of your hand just like you know all of your cases. You're going to kick ass like always Quinn. But if it'll make you feel better, I won't interview the chick who just brutally murdered her boyfriend and I'll type that report right up."

Quinn sighed. "You are such an ass Santana."

"And you still love me." The brunette replied with a cheeky grin.

She knew it was true. She knew Quinn loved her and would do just about anything for her. Just as she would return the favor but neither would ever admit to it, at least not unless forced to. Their strained relationship in high school had mended itself as the years went on but that didn't mean they had to hug it out every day. Santana couldn't help but think that she and Quinn growing closer had a lot to do with the fact that Brittany had left.

Santana had been crushed. Quinn too really. They were the unholy trinity and were suddenly reduced to a duo. They had no choice but regroup and support each other. Even Puck had been affected by Brittany's leaving and understood that the other two girls were grieving a loss of sorts. He had in fact only tried to sleep with them twice in an effort to "comfort" them.

Quinn grinned and shook her head. "Tomorrow, Santana, I need it tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am, first thing tomorrow. Now if it's ok with you, I'm going to go get a confession from a murderer. See you tomorrow."

Quinn sighed again and stepped away from Santana's desk. "See you tomorrow. And San? Go home at a decent hour tonight and try to get some rest. You look god-awful."

"Bitch."

Santana watched as Quinn left chuckling. She gathered her things and waved Puck over.

"You ready to finally take a crack at this crazy bitch?" he asked as he stepped up.

"Just watch me work my magic Puckerman."

"Let's blow this shit and go work a little magic back at my place." He replied with a suggestive waggle of his brows. His chuckled died down at Santana's death glare.

"You are still a pig. Now come on, I'd like to get home at some point tonight."

The trip to the interrogation room was silent with Santana throwing the occasional glare over her shoulder at Puck or at anyone who stepped into her path. They met a uniformed officer at the door and he nodded.

"She's all yours Detective."

Santana let out a long exhale, mentally preparing herself for the exchange. She was an expert at getting confessions. This girl didn't stand a chance. Santana's smirk returned and she pushed through the door. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to be met with as she entered the small room. But she certainly wasn't expecting familiar blonde hair and blue eyes as open and deep as the ocean.

Santana's heart clenched and she was certain some force had just sucked all the oxygen out of the room. There, with blood still splattered on her clothing, was the girl who still haunted her dreams.

"Brittany?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – thanks for the alerts, reviews, and for reading in general! The story will have flashbacks occasionally from here on out and those will be in italics. I'm not a police officer so I don't really know much about how the investigation deal goes but I tried. It might be a little slow moving in these first few chapters but I have a plan. Thanks again and on we go.

Chapter 2

"_Congratulations San." Brittany said with a huge smile._

_Santana returned the smile and pulled her girlfriend in for a kiss. "Congratulations B."_

_Brittany giggled and nuzzled her nose against Santana's cheek. "Happy Graduation."_

"_Happy graduation B. Did you ever really think this day would get here, that we would finally get here? We're free!" Santana exclaimed._

_Brittany gently thumbed Santana's cheek before leaning back in and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Well, I always knew you would get here. But I bet no one actually expected me to graduate from high school."_

"_What?" Santana said quickly, pulling away. "Don't say that B. There was never a doubt! Don't you dare put yourself down! Don't make me have to dump Jew Fro into the dumpster just to make you laugh, you know I'll do it!"_

_Brittany laughed just at the thought of Santana chucking the annoying and nosy nerd into the dumpster. "San, only you could still be sweet while threatening to dump a nerd."_

_Santana's eyes sparkled as she laughed loudly. "Anything for you babe. Now, we have to celebrate! We are high school graduates Brittany! We can finally be together for real. Just you and me."_

"_And Quinn." Brittany replied seriously. "And Puck too since he stopped trying to have sex with us. And my sister Hailey. Oh, and maybe Rachel too. She's ok, right?"_

_Santana groaned slightly. "B, I meant us as a couple, you know like dating, together? I love Quinn and Puck and Hailey of course. But I meant the two of us, together forever. You know, in love and all that. And you know I hate Berry."_

_Brittany chuckled. "Well of course we're going to be together forever San. I think that's written somewhere, like the stars or the Bible or something. You and me. Together forever."_

Santana was certain her heart would explode with happiness. "Yeah, you and me, together forever. I love you Britt."

"I love you too."

xxxx

"Holy shit." Puck muttered from behind her shoulder. Santana blinked rapidly, trying to catch her breath.

Brittany's face initially showed the same shock as Santana's. She sat up a little straighter in her seat but her head fell forward slightly and her eyes were downcast.

"Brittany?" Santana breathed again. "You're…you're the girlfriend? Shit."

Brittany finally lifted her eyes to meet Santana's gaze. The blonde pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "Hi Santana."

Santana was certain she was about to either faint or vomit. She clenched her jaw and quickly turned on her heel and shoved Puck out of the way as she rushed back out of the room. Puck glanced back at Brittany before running after Santana.

"San, wait!" He called as he saw her rushing away. She didn't slow. He followed her out of the station and all the way across the street to the Courthouse where the District Attorney's office was on the top floor. He followed her all the way to Quinn's office.

Santana didn't knock and simply pushed the door open once she saw a light was still on in Quinn's office. The blonde startled slightly and stood up as Santana came bursting in.

"It's Brittany." Santana said in a rush. "It's Brittany, she's the boyfriend killer that was just brought in tonight."

Quinn stood, too shocked to say anything. She watched as Santana tensed and seemed ready to snap, her jaw and fists clenched. "Brittany? As in _Brittany,_ Brittany? Is accused of killing her boyfriend?"

Santana stopped pacing the office and leveled her gaze on Quinn. "That's what I said isn't it? What the fuck? It's crazy right? It's Brittany. Where the hell has she been for ten years? What the fuck am I supposed to do? Give me your flask!"

"My what?" Quinn exclaimed.

"Oh don't give me that Quinn." Santana growled. "You're an attorney. You've got that expensive decanter on your desk and I know you keep a flask in your briefcase. Give it to me!"

Quinn was struggling to control her own emotions but seeing Santana so close to losing it allowed her to keep her expression neutral. She nodded slightly and turned back to her desk. She barely had the flask in her hand before Santana grabbed it and had it turned up in a quick gulp.

"Santana." Quinn said, reaching to pull the alcohol from the brunette's hand. "Pull yourself together. Like it or not, you have a job to do and you can't do it if you're drunk off your ass. Either do your job or hand the case off to someone else."

"What?" Santana exclaimed incredulously. "How can you be so calm? This is Brittany. Our Brittany, _my _Brittany and you expect me to just be able to walk in there after ten years and listen to her confess to killing a man in cold blood without any emotion whatsoever? I think I'm entitled to a small meltdown, thank you very much!"

"Oh I don't care about your meltdown Santana, I'm worried about my expensive decanter. When you start throwing things, don't you dare break it!" Quinn replied trying to calm her friend down.

"San," Puck said softly. "Maybe we should let someone else handle this one. Rico maybe. Or Williams. There's no reason for you to have to do this. If you can't handle it-"

"Fuck you Puckerman!" Santana cut in harshly. "There isn't anything I can't handle, you hear me? You're going to owe me a hell of a lot of drinks by the time this is over. Now come on."

Quinn was left with her swimming thoughts and emotions as Santana stormed out at what she clearly considered a challenge from Puck.

xxxx

By the time Santana returned to the interrogation room, she appeared calm on the outside and the quick shot of alcohol was helping to at least knock the edge off. She stiffly crossed the room and sat down at the table across from Brittany. The blonde hadn't taken her eyes off of her since she'd returned.

"Congratulations Santana." Brittany whispered. "I heard you made Detective. Congratulations, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." Santana replied, tone even. "It's been a long time Brittany. How've you been?"

Brittany stared at her for a second before a grin tugged at her lips. "I've been better San-er, Detective Lopez. But thanks for asking."

Santana narrowed her eyes and watched the woman across from her. She looked just the same but something was different, something was off. She was no longer the carefree girl Santana remembered. She seemed hard, sad. Santana felt her instincts kicking in.

"Where've you been these last ten years Brittany?" She asked calmly.

Brittany glanced up and met her gaze again. "I've been around. Here in the City mostly. But around."

She spoke so softly Santana had to strain to make out the words. She'd been in the City. In the same City as Santana for the last ten years but had never bothered to contact her. Santana felt anger rising once again. Instead of lashing out, she laughed. A cold, brittle laugh.

"You've been here? All these years and you couldn't be bothered to say hello? Did you know Quinn is still here too? Did you ever consider saying hello to her? Or was it just out of sight out of mind for you Brittany?"

Sad blue eyes snapped to brown. "Of course I know Quinn is here. I've kept up with both of you. I know she's an attorney now. You were never out of my mind Santana. Never."

"Tell me about Jackson Vicks." Santana interrupted, not liking where the conversation had turned. "Why did you shoot him?"

Brittany flinched slightly and dropped her eyes to the desk in front of her and pulled her hands down into her lap. "I don't think I want to talk about that."

"I'm going to find out, you might as well just tell me." Santana replied. "I know that was your apartment. I could tell. I could feel you in that kitchen. The duck magnet."

Brittany finally raised her eyes once again. Santana stared back. Her heart broke all over again at the sight of those deep blue eyes, at the pain and resignation she saw there. And fear. Santana could tell that Brittany was terrified. She knew she had to get to the bottom of this mess, for her own sanity. She couldn't deny the old protectiveness toward the blonde also kicking in but she was trying her best to stamp it down.

"Yeah, it's my apartment. And my magnet." Brittany said softly.

Santana nodded. "I knew. I could tell. But the only rooms that felt like you were the kitchen and the bedroom. Everything else was cold. It didn't fit you. How long have you lived there? Did anyone live there with you?"

_Get her talking,_ Santana thought. _Get her talking, it's Brittany, she'll let something slip. You can do this Lopez, you can get to the bottom of this, just keep her talking._

"Hi Puck." Brittany said, ignoring Santana's questions. "How've you been?"

Santana looked over her shoulder to where Puck was standing by the door. She glared at him, daring him to interrupt.

"I'm good Britt." He said with a small smile, Santana's glare having no effect. "It's good to see you again. Well, not like this of course."

Brittany smiled and shrugged. Santana growled. "Brittany, your apartment? What the hell? You can't cook but one of the only rooms that fit you is the kitchen? That living room, nothing like you. Who decorated, your grandmother? Or Jackson?"

Brittany brought a hand up to her neck absent-mindedly and chewed her lip again. She nodded just slightly. "Jackson wanted the living room clean for if company stopped by. He didn't like the kitchen messy either but I didn't get a chance to clean. And…I learned to cook a few things."

_Now we're getting somewhere,_ Santana thought to herself. "Was Jackson strict with you Brittany?" At Brittany's furrowed brow, Santana pushed on. "Was he mad that the kitchen was a mess? Did he yell at you? You know you can tell me Brittany, I just want to help you."

"No you don't." Brittany whispered. "You don't want to help me. You just want to get a story out of me. And I know it's your job San, I know you're just doing your job. But I don't want to talk about it."

Santana sighed. "I do want to help you Brittany. But I can't if you don't talk to me. I need to know what happened. I need you to tell me. Do you understand just how much trouble you're in? Let me help you."

Brittany met Santana's intense gaze and didn't falter. She shook her head slowly. "No. I don't feel like talking about it."

"Are you asking for a lawyer then?" Santana asked. "Because if you ask for a lawyer I'm not allowed to talk to you any more. At all. Are you asking for a lawyer Brittany?"

The look of confusion and pain returned to Brittany's face. Santana hated it just as much now as she did when they were growing up. Brittany scratched her head, her brow furrowed, a sign Santana vividly remembered as showing the blonde was deep in thought.

"If I ask for a lawyer I can't talk to you? Like, ever?"

Santana knew she wasn't being completely truthful but she shook her head. "No. If you ask for a lawyer we're not allowed to talk to you any more. You'll just sit down at the jail with no one to talk to. No one except the lawyer that is, and the other inmates. Is that what you want?"

Brittany's eyes widened at the thought. She shook her head again. "No. I don't want a lawyer San. I don't really think I need one anyway. But can we not talk about this anymore tonight? I'm kind of tired."

Santana felt her jaw muscles clenching again. She wanted to push Brittany, to get the story out tonight but she found herself nodding instead. "Yeah Britt. We can talk to tomorrow. Will you talk with me tomorrow?"

Brittany smiled sadly and nodded. As Santana stood to her feet, a uniformed officer stepped into the room to take Brittany down to the jail. Santana felt her heart clench.

"Has she officially been charged?" She found herself asking the officer. The young man nodded slightly and handed some paperwork over to her. She briefly scanned the papers, her jaw clenching again at the words "premeditated" and "murder" along with the papers ordering Brittany to be held without any bond or bail.

Santana watched as the officer took the blonde by the arm and led her out of the room. Brittany didn't look up or protest as she followed the man out. She seemed resigned to her fate already.

Santana wearily stood to her feet after watching Brittany be led away. Puck inched closer. "You're not going home are you?" he asked softly.

"Fuck no."

He nodded slightly. "Moe's? We can get started on those beers you now owe me?"

Santana let out a long shaky breath. "Moe's. Shit do I need a drink."

The pair silently made their way to the bar a few blocks away from the station. Moe's was for all intents and purposes, a dive. But it was their bar and most of the cops in town called it their own as well.

They slid into a booth in the back and quickly ordered two drinks. Puck eyed Santana warily. "You doing ok Lopez?"

Santana narrowed her eyes and downed her drink, quickly ordering another. "What the fuck. Brittany. How could she do this? We know her Puck."

"We _knew_ her." He corrected softly. "It's been ten years San, a lot can change."

Santana shook her head. "Not that much. No way. This is Brittany. Brittany could never hurt anyone, not even those bitches who made fun of her in high school. This just makes no sense. There has to be more to this. And I'm going to figure out what."

"Oh, whoa, hold up now." Puck said, holding up a hand. "There is no way in hell Captain is going to give you this case. She's your ex girlfriend. You honestly think Captain is going to overlook that?"

"The Captain doesn't need to know about that." Santana replied. "And we're the only ones who know about it so there's no reason to think she'll ever find out. Puck, please. I know her; I know there has to be more to this. Brittany isn't a cold-blooded murderer. And if she is, hell, this will be just the closure I need to get over her. I need this case."

Puck exhaled and picked at the label on his beer bottle with his thumb. "Ok then." He sighed.

"Ok what?"

Puck smirked. "Ok, we'll get to the bottom of this. I'm just worried you won't like what you find out."

Santana smirked. "I think that's a given. Pretty sure anything I found out is going to suck one way or another."

Puck placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. They didn't speak the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Thanks as always for the reviews, alerts, and for reading!

Chapter 3

_Santana smiled as she felt eyes watching her intently. She stretched long and hard before opening her own eyes._

"_Good morning." Brittany whispered._

_Santana could only stare. Brittany's bright blue eyes were wide and she could detect uncertainty there. It made Santana's heart hurt seeing it. She immediately feared Brittany regretted the night before._

"_Hey Britt." Santana said almost coldly, already rebuilding the walls around her heart. "Haven't you ever heard it's creepy to watch someone sleep?"_

_Santana tried to ignore the flash of hurt she saw on Brittany's face at her biting tone. She had hoped last night had meant something to Brittany. After months of flirting and lingering touches, the two best friends had finally had the courage to act on their hidden, or maybe not so hidden, feelings. _

"_I'm sorry San. Do you want me to leave?"_

_Santana stared deeply into Brittany's eyes. She willed Brittany to see everything she was afraid to say. She never wanted Brittany to leave. And that scared her. But rejection from the blonde scared her even more. She opened her mouth but nothing came out._

"_San?" Brittany asked again. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" The blonde's eyes were quickly filling with tears._

_Santana looked up at the ceiling and sighed. She could go back to being just friends with Brittany if she had to. As long as she didn't lose her completely. That she could do. "No Britt. You didn't do anything wrong-"_

"_So you're not mad about last night?" Brittany interrupted. _

_Santana looked at her again. She felt a small smile tugging at her lips at the hope she now saw in those blue eyes and she felt the bricks crumbling from the wall around her heart just that easily. Brittany could always find a way through her defenses. "Mad? Why would I be mad? Of course not B, I-I had fun last night."_

_A relieved smile finally found it's way to Brittany's face and she scooted closer to Santana. "I did too." She whispered. "Best night ever."_

"_Yeah?" Santana asked, her breath catching slightly. _

"_Totally." Brittany replied, her grin widening. "In fact, do you think we could do that again San? We were pretty awesome at it."_

_Santana was sure her own smile was about to split her cheeks and her heart was soaring. "Yeah. I'd like that. A lot."_

_Brittany squealed and threw herself on top of Santana in a hug. She planted a sloppy kiss to Santana's cheek and tugged the smaller girl into her tight embrace. "So can we be girlfriends now? I really want to be your girlfriend."_

_Santana Lopez giggled. Actually fucking giggled. Had it been anyone else with her, she would have denied it but it was Brittany. And Brittany wanted to be her girlfriend. All was right with the world. _

_It was their first "morning after" at the young age of 15. They were destined to have many more. _

xxxx

Santana had dreamed of her first time with Brittany yet again. It seemed the blonde was always haunting her, plaguing her thoughts just below the surface of her conscious. Santana woke feeling restless and uneasy. She knew she had to confront Brittany again. She also knew she had to start digging for answers, answers she most likely would not like.

Santana entered the station earlier than usual and wasn't at all surprised to see Quinn waiting for her.

"Hey." Quinn said softly.

"Good morning." Santana replied. "What brings you down to the slums so early?"

Quinn shrugged. "I knew I'd find you here. I wanted to check on you, see what your plan is."

"My plan?" Santana asked with a frown. "My plan is to do my damn job and get this case over with as quickly as possible."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be handling this case Santana?" Quinn asked. Santana appreciated the look of concern on her friend's face but just scoffed.

"I'm the best aren't I? Someone else would just fuck it up and then I'd have to step in and fix it anyway so it's best I just deal with it now and get it over with." She looked back to Quinn who had cocked one perfectly groomed brow and was watching her skeptically. "I'll be fine."

Quinn sighed. "Of course you're the best. I just don't want you getting hurt over this. Also, I should tell you…I was assigned to Brittany's case as well."

"What?" Santana exclaimed. "You're going to be prosecuting her?"

"I know. What crazy karma did we piss off to all be involved in this mess?" Quinn replied softly. "Are you going back to talk to her today?"

Santana nodded. "Yeah, I'm hoping to get her to at least open up a little today. She hasn't asked for a lawyer or anything so hopefully I'll get some information out of her this time."

"I'd like to talk to her too." Quinn said, looking down at the floor as if lost in thought. "I'd like to see her."

Santana swallowed thickly. She was reminded again that Brittany had been Quinn's friend too. She wasn't the only one who lost something when Brittany left; Quinn had also lost a friend.

"How about this afternoon?" Santana asked quietly. "Give me a little time to see what we've found out about this Jackson Vicks guy and to see if I can get her to open up. Hell, maybe she'll talk to you if not me."

"Ok." Quinn responded with a slight nod. "I'll let you get to it then." She turned to leave but stopped abruptly causing Santana to glance up. Quinn stood with a hand on her hip and her brow cocked once again. "And Santana, I still need that report on my favorite drug dealer for trial tomorrow so get on it."

"You have got to be shitting me Fabray!" Santana yelled to Quinn's retreating form. "I'm a little busy here!"

"I mean it Lopez."

Santana scowled as Quinn faded from view. Shaking her head and grumbling, Santana turned back to her desk to see Puck and Rico approaching.

"Hey." Puck called in greeting. "Thought now might be a good time to go over what we've found out about Vicks. Rico here has found some pretty interesting shit."

Rico nodded and opened a file he was holding in his hands. "Yeah, seems our boy was no angel. The number of assaults on this guy's record is more than Puckerman here can count to. Well, here's the file, I gotta get going. I'll let you know what else comes up. We're getting statements from the neighbors today and we're waiting on the info from running the serial number on the gun."

Puck nodded once and took the file waiting for Rico to wander off before speaking. "Vicks also has a few minor drug charges. Nothing too serious but he's certainly no choir boy."

"What the hell is Brittany doing with a guy like him?" Santana murmured. "Have you run her record? What has she been up to in the last ten years?"

"That's the thing," Puck said firmly. "Nothing, she's clean. How does someone go from, well, Brittany, to a cold-blooded killer? It doesn't make sense."

"Well, if Brittany did do this, something had to have driven her to it. Maybe he was hurting her, or had something on her? She said something last night…Jackson liked the place clean. Maybe he was one of those obsessive-compulsive types and went crazy if things weren't in order. You did see that kitchen didn't you? It could drive anyone nuts."

Puck chuckled and nodded. "Reminded me of that time we had to step in and save Brittany from failing Home Economics. It was the worst disaster I've ever seen. Or tasted."

Santana laughed at the fond memories but felt her heart clench painfully. Ten years and the thought of the crazy, carefree blonde still brought butterflies to her stomach and a flush to her cheeks. And the thought that this Jackson Vicks had possibly hurt Brittany and driven her to murder made Santana want to kill him herself.

"How the hell did she get here?" Santana asked softly. She exhaled and shook her head to break away from her dangerous thoughts. "Well, see if either one of them have any hospital records or anything. Him for being bat-shit crazy, and her for anything suspicious that we can use to come up with a motive to kill this guy."

Puck nodded. "You know that'll take a few days but I'll get on it."

The two shared a look and Santana remembered again why she loved Noah Puckerman. "I'm fine." She said with a smile.

He nodded before turning away to begin digging to the bottom of the latest mess they found themselves in the middle of.

xxxx

Santana spent her morning sifting through Jackson Vicks' file. Throughout the morning more information began to filter in about the man. As it turned out, Jackson Vicks' father was a fairly well known attorney in the state capitol. William Vicks had hopes of a future in politics but certain personal scandals kept him from advancing further than a fairly lucrative legal career.

Santana read through a newspaper article from six years ago that indicated William Vicks was called to the City to once again rescue his wayward son. The article hinted that the Vicks' money had been all that was required to cover up yet another complaint of Jackson getting involved in criminal activity, this time a bar fight that left the victim with 27 stitches in his head.

Jackson had been in and out of colleges but Santana could find nothing to indicate he had graduated. She couldn't find any information about how he made a living either. She assumed he was content to live off of his father's money. He struck her as the type to find a woman to drain dry before moving on to the next as well; she had seen his type before.

And the Brittany she remembered would be just the kind of prey someone like that would love to stumble across. Santana knew Brittany would assume the best in everyone and wouldn't think twice of bending over backwards to help someone in need. Without someone watching out for the naïve blonde, she could easily have fallen into the wrong crowd.

Santana tried to push the bitter thoughts from her mind but she couldn't help the thought that Brittany had no one to look after her because of her own decisions. She left Santana, not the other way around. The Latina immediately felt guilty for thinking anyone deserved being used by Jackson Vicks, especially Brittany.

It was close to noon when Puck stepped up to her desk with a bagel and coffee in hand. He dropped the items onto her desk and moved on to his own without a word.

xxxx

Santana was deep in thought as she walked toward the interrogation room in the city jail. Her morning had been productive and she had learned quite a lot about Jackson Vicks. She already knew she didn't like him. But even if Jackson Vicks hadn't been convicted of twelve assaults and the occasional drug possession, she would have hated him. He had been with her Brittany when all Santana had of the blonde over the last ten years were memories. He could have spent every waking moment feeding the hungry and building schools for children and Santana would have still hated him.

Santana had called Quinn and informed her that the long awaited report was on it's way over and that she was heading to see Brittany again. Quinn said she was in the middle of trial prep and couldn't get away but would meet her at the jail after the trial the next day or at Brittany's arraignment, which was set for the following day as well. Santana was actually thankful for time alone to see if Brittany was any more willing to talk.

Santana took a seat and waited for the guards to bring the blonde in. When she heard the door open, she turned and stared as Brittany strode into the room clad in the customary orange jumpsuit. Santana bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to steady herself.

"Hey San." Brittany said with her crooked smile in place. "Oh, sorry, Detective Lopez."

Santana waved off the correction and tried to return the smile. "Hey Brittany. How are you today?"

Brittany shrugged, her smile fading slightly. "I'm doing ok. I feel better than I did last night. The food isn't very good though."

Only Brittany would be concerned about jail food when she was just charged with first-degree murder and was facing life in prison. _She always was one to get caught not seeing the forest for the tree_, Santana mused wryly.

Santana let her eyes roam over Brittany as she settled into the chair across from her. Even with no makeup, her hair pulled back into a loose pony, and in the jumpsuit Santana couldn't help but think she was as beautiful as ever. There was a certain light missing in her eyes though that made Santana's heart ache.

Brittany felt the Latina's eyes on her and she smiled softly. "The suit isn't that bad." She said quietly, thinking it was the bright jumpsuit that was distracting Santana. "It's actually kind of comfortable."

"What happened Brittany? How could you have ended up here?" Santana wondered aloud. "What happened to you?"

"Life I guess." Brittany said with a sad smile. She sighed. "You look great San. Congratulations again. I'm really proud of you; you've done great for yourself."

Santana hated the awkwardness between them. There was a time when they could finish each other's sentences and knew exactly what the other as thinking. Santana remembered again that those days were long gone. She squared her shoulders, determined to prove to herself, and even Puck and Quinn, that she could do this. She would get to the bottom of Brittany's mess.

"You know why I'm here Brittany. I need you to talk to me about Jackson Vicks. I need you to tell me how he ended up dead on your living room floor."

"He was shot wasn't he?" Brittany asked, confusion washing over her face.

Santana groaned inwardly. This might take a little longer than she hoped. "Why don't we start at the beginning. How long have you known Jackson?"

Brittany eyed her curiously as if trying to determine if by answering she would be falling into some trick Santana was setting into motion. "Um, I've known him about four years I guess."

Four years. Santana cringed at the thought of how much she herself had missed in those four years. At that moment she was jealous of the dead man. Technically that was longer than she and Brittany had even been together dating.

"That's a long time Brittany. Were you dating the whole time?"

Brittany nodded, eyes downcast. "Pretty much."

"How did you meet him?" Santana asked, genuinely curious.

"He saved me." Brittany said with a soft smile and a shrug. "I was working at a bar and some guy started messing with me. The guy even managed to drag me into the men's bathroom but Jackson came running in behind us and pulled me away. He walked me home that night and…well, he was pretty much always around after that."

Santana felt her fists clench in her lap as Brittany described the events. "I have to be honest Brittany," Santana said firmly, causing the blonde's eyes to snap to her own. "I've looked through Jackson's criminal record and I'm not too impressed with him. But I am glad he was there that night to help you. Did you know about his criminal record? He had twelve convictions for assault and battery Brittany. Twelve! Did he ever hit you?"

Brittany flinched and began to shift nervously in her seat. "I-I don't want to talk about this any more Santana."

"Brittany, you might as well just tell me. I'm going to find out eventually. If he ever hurt you and drove you to this, we can work something out, a plea offer or something. There's no reason for you to have to have to spend the rest of your life in prison if you were just protecting yourself! Can't you see that I'm trying to help you?"

Brittany was visibly trembling and shook her head. "No. I don't want to talk about this anymore Santana. And I think that means you have to stop asking about it. I saw it on one of those copper shows I think."

"What are you so afraid of Brittany?" Santana asked, watching the blonde carefully. "He's gone, he can't hurt you anymore. Tell me Brittany, I just want to help you!"

"Maybe I don't want your help Santana!" Brittany cried. "You can't fix this. It's done and I understand that and I'm ok with whatever happens to me. I don't need help!"

Brittany quickly got up and moved toward the exit, a clear sign she was finished discussing the situation. Santana could only watch in shock as the blonde was led away yet again.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- I had hoped to post over the weekend but the real world got in the real world got in the way. I do have everything written through Chapter 7 so as soon as I finish reviewing I'll post another, probably tomorrow. Thanks as always!

Chapter 4

Santana spent another long night tossing and turning. She finally realized that sleep simply would not come so she got up and went back to work looking back through Jackson's file. His father had contacted the department and made his disgust with Brittany Pierce clear. William Vicks seemed convinced his son had been murdered for his money and of course to further hinder his own chances at a career in politics.

William Vicks was scheduled to come into the station for an interview in a few days time to see if he had any relevant information regarding the case. Santana felt certain he would not. He had covered for Jackson his entire life and was likely to continue now.

When Santana entered the station that morning she knew from the look on Puck's face that there was bad news. The steaming coffee Puck brought for her further solidified her hunch.

"What is it Puckerman?" she asked as she stepped closer to her desk where Puck was leaning, arms crossed.

"Well," he started. "Bad news I'm afraid. The lab results came back on the gun. Her prints are all over it. And with the positive traces of gun powder on her hand, there's no denying that Brittany shot that gun San."

Santana expected those results but deep down she was hoping they would be different. She exhaled slowly. Brittany shot the gun that killed her boyfriend in her apartment. She was the only person present when the police showed up minutes later. The evidence was piling up against the blonde but it still didn't settle right with Santana.

"Wait, you said traces of gunpowder?" Santana asked. "If she shot the gun six times, wouldn't she have more than just a trace of gunpowder on her hand? How often have you seen that happen? Check with the lab."

"Ok, I'll check." Puck said softly. "But San, you have got to come to grips with the fact that Brittany might have actually done this. She might have killed a guy."

"If she did it, she was forced into it." Santana said firmly. "We know what kind of a guy Jackson Vicks was just based on his record. And we know Brittany, there's more to this and I'm going to sort it out."

"Santana you're taking this too personally."

The brunette clenched her fists. "Puck, I know what I'm doing. I know how to do my damn job. If someone fired six shots from a gun there should be more than just a trace of gunpowder on their hand. That's not me just looking for an out for Brittany. That's me doing my fucking job."

"Easy San, I'm just worried about you, that's all." Puck replied raising his hands defensively. "I know how torn up you were when Brittany left. Seeing her possibly get sent away for life…that will kill you. And it'll kill me seeing you go through that. I just want you to be careful Santana, that's all I'm saying."

"And I appreciate that." Santana returned almost coldly. "But I can do my job. How about you just do yours ok? Where are we on those medical records? And have the records on the gun itself turned up yet?"

Puck knew Santana was lashing out in frustration and fear. He couldn't imagine how difficult the situation must be for the brunette. He was torn up himself seeing Brittany again in this situation and he didn't have anywhere near the strong feelings that Santana did.

"The medical records should be here in a few days. The warrants got held up for some reason but they'll get here. The gun info should be here by the end of the day Rico said."

Santana nodded, willing herself to calm. "Ok. I want to see those records as soon as they come in. Brittany is due in court this afternoon for her arraignment. Maybe I should convince her to ask for an attorney. I mean, she needs someone who's out to get her out of this mess right? But if she gets an attorney I can't talk to her about the case any more. Which means I can't talk to her in general because everything comes back to this shit mess she's gotten us into."

"You're rambling Santana." Puck said with a quiet chuckle. "Just talk to her. If she wants an attorney, she'll ask for one. Just breathe. And don't forget, you're not out to get her out of this mess; you're out to figure out the truth about what happened. Just don't forget that."

Santana nodded sadly. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm good though, don't worry about me."

Puck shook his head. "Not gonna happen Lopez. But seriously, we'll figure this out."

Puck gently squeezed her shoulder before heading back to his desk

xxxx

Brittany was due in court that afternoon for her arraignment. Santana slipped into the courtroom quietly and sat in the front row, waiting for Brittany to be brought in. Quinn hadn't yet seen their old friend and was fidgeting nervously at the table, also waiting for Brittany to arrive.

The judge was on the bench and the clerk called the case. Quinn and Santana both froze as they waited for Brittany to be brought out. Finally, the door to the holding cell opened and Brittany shuffled out, cuffed and once again in the orange jumpsuit.

Santana saw Quinn pale slightly and cringe at her first sight of their long lost friend. Quinn quickly composed herself in front of the judge but when Brittany met her eye the first time, she couldn't help but smile sadly at her friend.

"Ms. Pierce," the judge began flatly. "We're here today for your arraignment on the charge of first degree murder. I understand you have not asked for an attorney yet. Are you asking for one now?"

Brittany glanced first to Santana and then Quinn before looking up to the judge. "Um…no ma'am…your highness…um, I mean your honor. Sorry. No, I don't want an attorney."

The judge narrowed her eyes at Brittany thoughtfully. "You're not asking for an attorney when you've been charged with first degree murder? Do you intend to represent yourself?"

"Represent myself?" Brittany asked, confusion evident. "Can't I just plead guilty now and be done with it? I mean, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure there's a ton of evidence against me."

The judge did not look impressed. "Ms. Fabray, do you intend to request a mental evaluation to discern the sanity and competency of the accused?"

"Wait," Brittany called before Quinn could answer. "Mental? Are you calling me crazy?"

Santana cringed at the pained look on Brittany's face. Her mental capacity had always been a touchy subject. Quinn noticed as well as she turned to Brittany and eyed her cautiously.

Brittany's shoulders slumped and she dropped her gaze. "I'm pretty dumb sometimes…but I'm not crazy." She said softly.

"Ms. Fabray, are you or are you not asking for a mental health evaluation?" The judge barked.

Brittany raised her eyes to meet Quinn's. Quinn felt her reserved heart crack just slightly at the look on Brittany's face. It was almost as if Brittany was begging her to validate her mental health as she gazed at Quinn hopefully.

Quinn was certain she would regret her next words in some way. "No Your Honor, we're not asking for a mental health evaluation at this time."

The smile on Brittany's face made Quinn's heart shatter even more. She had just closed off a significant defense possibility for her blonde friend but she was aware that suggesting that Brittany wasn't completely of sound mind or mentally stable would only hurt the blonde further and most likely cause her to shut down completely.

The judge sighed as if in deep thought. "Very well." She replied. "We'll forgo the mental evaluation at this time. And since you're not requesting an attorney at this time Ms. Pierce, we'll set trial for one month from today. Until that time, you'll continue to be held without bail and are remanded to the jail. That will be all for today."

The judge was off the bench before Santana could fully comprehend all that had just taken place. Brittany still didn't have an attorney and Quinn had denied her one avenue of defense that seemed obvious at the moment.

Brittany was once again ushered out of the courtroom quickly. Santana could only watch as she shuffled out, the shackles on her ankles clattering. As soon as she and Quinn were left alone in the room, she strode over to the woman.

"Quinn, why didn't you get a doctor involved? That might have helped her!" Santana exclaimed.

Quinn ran a hand across her eyes tiredly. "You know how Brittany is Santana. She looked like she was about to cry. If I had asked for a mental health evaluation it would have been even worse than that time that Artie called her stupid in Glee Club. She cried for two weeks after that Santana. I just couldn't do that to her."

"I guess you're right." Santana replied softly. "What a fucking mess. Are you sure you want to prosecute this case? Isn't there some brand new intern you could hand this off to?"

Quinn chuckled. "Trust me Santana, you want me on this case. Do you really want one of the new guys eager to make a name for themselves on this one? Or my boss, who is only all about the numbers and will do whatever it takes to get a conviction? Trust me Santana, you want me on this."

Santana frowned and looked longingly toward the door through which Brittany had exited. "I guess you're right. You at least have some sympathy for her. Right? You do, don't you?"

Quinn reached and placed a hand on Santana's shoulder at her almost frantic expression. "Of course I do San. I want to know what went wrong in her life just as much as you do. And I promise, I'll be fair. But you have to understand that I have a job to do here as well."

"Your job is justice and to get to the truth of what happened." Santana immediately snapped. "Just don't forget that."

"That's your job too San." Quinn replied softly. "No matter who the accused is."

Santana was almost out the door before Quinn's words registered. Instead of lashing out in anger, Santana simply nodded.

xxxx

Santana was once again working almost feverishly at her desk when she heard Rico calling her name across the room. She looked up and saw him ambling toward her.

"Hey Lopez," he called. "I got the paperwork back on the gun. Ran the serial number and it looks like the gun was bought from a gun shop just outside the city about three weeks ago. Seems like a legit place. It was even registered there. The buyer is listed as Brittany S. Pierce. That's our girl right?"

Santana felt the world spin slightly. Brittany seemed to be getting buried deeper and deeper. She could only nod as she tried to keep her breathing steady.

Rico was oblivious to her discomfort and dropped the paperwork on her desk. "I called the owner and he said there's a surveillance video so he's going to round that up for us. Should have it to us in a few days."

Rico was gone as quickly as he came and Santana was left with her thoughts and the new addition to her growing stack of paperwork on her desk. She slumped down into her desk chair and simply stared at Brittany's name on the gun registration form.

Santana growled lowly before jumping up and grabbing her coat. Puck watched her rush out warily before shaking his head and reaching for his phone.

xxxx

_Quinn woke to the sound of incessant banging on her front door. She blearily wiped at her eyes as she tried to focus on the clock by her bed. Groaning, Quinn realized it was 3:17am. Had she not recognized the voice sounding from outside her door she might have been worried._

_Quinn stumbled to the front door and looked through the peephole for good measure before pulling the door open to find a rumpled brunette clutching the doorframe._

"_Santana." She said evenly. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

_The Latina swayed slightly and grumbled something under her breath. Quinn stepped back to allow Santana room to enter the apartment but it soon became obvious she would need assistance. The brunette careened within range and Quinn grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her quickly into the apartment before shutting the door behind her._

"_Hey Quinnie." Santana mumbled as she threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "You got any of that good scotch left? You know, the one that burns real good going down?"_

_Quinn cringed at the odor of alcohol wafting from Santana's breath in their close proximity. She steered Santana toward the couch with a soft chuckle._

"_San, I think more alcohol is the last thing you need right now. Come on, let's get you settled."_

_She practically dropped Santana down onto the couch and stepped back, pushing her hair from her own face. Santana sat looking forlornly at the floor in front of her. Quinn's expression softened slightly._

"_What happened?" _

"_I thought she'd have come back by now." Santana muttered miserably. "Where is she Quinn? Where'd she go?"_

_Quinn sank down onto the couch next to Santana. After a long exhaled breath, Quinn reached and took the brunette's hand in her own. When tears began to stream from Santana's eyes, Quinn pretended not to notice and when she finally passed out, Quinn covered her with a blanket and left Advil and a bottle of water on the coffee table._

_Before retreating to her own bedroom, Quinn brushed Santana's hair away from her flushed cheeks and dropped a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well Santana."_

xxxx

Quinn wandered further into Moe's scanning the crowd. Her eyes stopped at the booth in the far corner and she squared her shoulders before heading in that direction.

Santana was slumped over slightly and staring at her bottle of beer intently.

"I thought I might find you here." Quinn said, sliding into the booth across from her.

Santana glanced up but didn't seem surprised to see her friend there. "Did Puck call you?"

"Yeah, he did." Quinn said with a chuckle. "Well, how far behind am I? I need to know if I should go straight for the hard stuff to catch up or can I start off slowly on a beer?"

Santana smiled softly and remembered again why Quinn Fabray was her best friend. She could match her drink for drink and was always happy to keep Santana company if the need to drown her sorrows ever arose.

"I'm not drunk Quinn. Not yet anyway so you're safe with a beer."

Quinn nodded and waived down the waiter. Within a few minutes, the two were silently sipping their drinks. A few minutes later, Puck joined them and the three continued to sit in companionable silence.

"Did you go see her today after court?" Quinn finally asked, breaking the quiet at their table.

Santana shook her head. "I couldn't. After getting the gun registration papers back today, I just had to get away for a while. I'll go tomorrow."

"I've got a free day. Would mind if I came with you?" Quinn asked quietly. At Santana's nod of approval, Quinn continued. "Did the gun come back registered to Brittany?"

Santana raised her eyes to meet Quinn's and again nodded slightly. "The guy who owns the shop is pretty reputable. She came in with two forms of ID and everything. She bought it about three weeks ago which as I'm sure you know, could easily be argued to prove premeditation. The judge will think she planned this for weeks."

"I talked to the lab guys about the gun powder residue." Puck interjected. "Said it wasn't unheard of to only show a trace after firing the gun six times but that normally there would be a more substantial amount of powder left on the hand. If she had an attorney, they could maybe twist that into something good."

"Maybe when we talk to her tomorrow we can convince her to agree to be represented." Quinn said. "It definitely couldn't hurt. If money is an issue I could probably pull a few strings and find someone good who's willing to help us out, work pro bono maybe."

Santana nodded. "Tomorrow, we are going to get information out of her. I've had enough of this; it's time to get this shit sorted out already. Tomorrow, we are going to grill the hell out of her."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - Thanks again for reading! I think this is my quickest update yet. The next chapter should be up Thursday or Friday. Thanks again!

Chapter 5

_Santana paced the apartment she and her girlfriend had just moved into a few weeks earlier. They had made dinner plans and reservations for over an hour ago and Brittany was nowhere to be found. She normally immediately returned Santana's calls so the brunette was becoming almost frantic as an hour passed with no word from Brittany._

_Finally, at the sound of the front door opening and shutting softly, Santana jumped from her spot on the couch and almost burst from relief at the sight of Brittany standing in the entryway. _

"_Brittany, where have you been?" Santana exclaimed. "We planned to meet over an hour ago, I was getting worried!"_

_Brittany froze and stared wide eyed as Santana rushed toward her. Santana immediately recognized the look on her girlfriend's face. She was hiding something. The deer in the headlights look was enough to give it away but Brittany nervously twirling a blonde lock was enough to clench it for Santana._

"_B?"_

"_Um, hi San. How was your day?" Brittany asked, attempting to sidestep her girlfriend._

"_Oh no you don't. I've been worried about you. I called and texted, where have you been?"_

_Brittany giggled nervously and glanced around for a way to escape the fiery Latina. "Well I was…um. I… You look really hot today San."_

_Santana raised a single brow but chuckled softly at Brittany's weak attempt to change the subject. Santana would just have to show Brittany who was in control of this situation. She sauntered closer to the blonde whose eyes grew impossibly wider as she eyed the sway of Santana's hips as she stepped closer. Brittany gulped loudly. Santana soon had the blonde backed up against the wall and was practically purring into Brittany's ear as she ran a hand suggestively up her arm._

"_B," Santana murmured, slipping a leg between Brittany's thighs. "Where were you today?"_

_Brittany whimpered as Santana left a trail of kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. Still not getting an answer, Santana pulled out all the stops. She shifted slightly so that her thigh pressed firmly against Brittany and gently licked at the pulse point on the blonde's neck. "Where were you?" she whispered, voice husky and full of lust._

_She shifted her leg again, pressing upward and one final kiss to Brittany's neck and she cracked just as Santana knew she would. "Oh…God San. I got a tattoo. I was on my way home and some random guy out on the street gave me a coupon for a discount at a tattoo place and I thought maybe it would be super hot and I went in and then before I knew it I was in the chair and well…tatted up."_

_Santana pulled away abruptly and her jaw dropped at Brittany's rambling. "You…you-you got a tattoo?"_

_Brittany groaned. "I know. I'm sorry San! I can't believe how stupid it was. I surprise myself sometimes. I try to be smart, I really do and then I go and do something stupid like get a tattoo from some skuzzy guy with awesome dread locks and ten piercings just on his face."_

_Santana felt her resolve slipping slightly at the sight of Brittany's lower lip beginning to tremble. She groaned and pulled the blonde in for a tight hug and questioned just who was actually in control of the situation. _

_Two hours later, and after Brittany apologized profusely for missing dinner, the two were lying comfortably in bed, limbs and sheets tangled. The Latina found herself chuckling at her interrogation tactics with the blonde. She had to admit that not only did she get the information she was looking for; she also got amazing sex. Santana also had to admit that the Celtic knot on Brittany's hip was kind of hot. And really, she was just relieved that the blonde didn't come home with a duck tattoo._

xxxx

Santana and Quinn both sat quietly, again waiting for Brittany to be escorted into the interrogation room at the jail. They were determined to learn something from the blonde, no matter how long it took.

Finally, Brittany walked in and smiled at the sight of them both sitting at the table. "Hey guys."

Quinn smiled softly and gave a small wave while Santana just nodded. Brittany settled down across from them.

"Brittany, you need a lawyer." Santana blurted.

Brittany frowned at Santana's bluntness. "Can't we just talk for a little while?" she asked quietly. "I know you both have to do your jobs but I want to know how you're doing, what you've been up to. Please?"

Quinn reached across the table and took Brittany's hand giving it a squeeze. "We're just trying to help you Britt. Neither of us wants to see you spend the rest of your life in prison. If you got an attorney to represent you, it might be easier to present alternatives to the judge. I can only do so much to help you in my position."

"I'll think about it." Brittany replied softly. "But really, can we just talk a little while? Quinn, how've you been?"

Quinn sighed but a smile soon tugged at her lips. "I'm good Britt. It's been a busy few years but good."

"Are you dating anyone? I tried to keep up with you two, and Puck, through the papers and all so I think I would have heard if you'd married. How are your parents? Do you like your job, are you happy?"

Brittany seemed so sincere and eager to hear about her life that Quinn felt a warmth swelling and she remembered why she had cared so much for her friend growing up. Brittany was warm and kind and genuinely cared. Even after all these years, she still cared.

"Yeah Britt." Quinn said with a chuckle. "I'm happy. I do love my job. And no, I'm not dating anyone. I've had a few boyfriends off and on but no one right now."

"I'm so glad to see you two so close. I was hoping you'd stick together after I…after I left." Brittany glanced down at the table and shrugged. "I've missed you both. I can't help but feel a little left out but I'm glad you have each other."

Santana couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah, well, you're left out because you _left_ remember? You left us. And now look at the mess you're in! And we're just trying to help you but you won't even tell us what the fuck happened to make you kill a man!"

Brittany flinched and sunk deeper into her chair. She bit her bottom lip and both Santana and Quinn could tell she was trying not to cry.

"Brittany," Quinn cut in, shooting Santana a glare. "Do you need us to call anyone? How about your parents? Or Hailey?"

"My parents are dead." Brittany whispered. "They died six years ago. And Hailey is away at school. Did you know she got into Yale? Just like Grace…"

"That's great about Hailey Britt." Quinn said earnestly. "And I'm so sorry about your parents. We didn't know. How did it happen?"

Brittany smiled sadly. "Another car wreck. It's just been Hailey and me. That's part of why I never found you again. It was just so busy suddenly having to take care of someone else that I just lost track of time. And then she wanted to go to Yale just like Grace and the money just wasn't there so…"

Santana felt her anger slipping yet again. She never could stay angry with Brittany. And the Brittany before her seemed so sad and broken. "Yale is expensive Brittany. How did you manage that?"

"Well, she got some scholarships and I covered the rest. She's a smart one my little sister. She's in her third year and her grades are great. Hailey is going to make something of her life." Brittany said fondly.

"Have you told her what's going on?" Santana asked. "Do you want us to call her?"

"No!" Brittany exclaimed. "I don't want her here. She should just worry about her classes and all that. I'm fine. I don't want her here ok? I know what I'm doing!"

"What are you doing Brittany?" Santana practically cried, a pained expression on her face. "You won't tell us anything about Jackson. We just want to help you. We know you shot the gun, the residue on your hand and your prints on the gun tell us that. And we know you bought the gun three weeks ago at a little shop outside of the City. But what we don't know is why? Why would you do this?"

"You…know I bought the gun?" Brittany muttered. "Yes, I bought the gun."

"You hated guns growing up." Quinn said softly. "What changed your mind B?"

"Did you need to protect yourself?" Santana cut in. "Were you afraid of something Brittany? Is that why you bought a gun?"

Brittany smiled. "There you go again. You two work too hard. You need to take a break from working so much. This really isn't a case for you to be so stressed out about, pretty open and shut I think I heard?"

"Do you not care at all?" Santana cried. "Do you not care that it will kill us to see you be sentenced to life in prison for this when there was a chance we could help you at least get a charge reduction? What did he do to you?"

"I'm not trying to upset you." Brittany whispered. "I'm just trying to do the right thing."

"Brittany," Quinn said calmly. "The right thing to do is to tell us what happened. Talk to us, please!"

Brittany sighed and shook her head. "The right thing is for someone to pay for killing someone. I didn't have any reason to kill him that night. He hadn't hurt me. There's no excuse for me. So I don't deserve a charge reduction or anything. I just want to take responsibility and get on with it."

"I don't believe you." Santana whispered. Quinn and Brittany both looked at her. "I don't care what you or anyone else says, there's more to this. You couldn't have changed that much in ten years Brittany. You're not a cold-blooded killer. And whether you like it or not, I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

This time, Brittany was the one left slightly shocked as Santana and Quinn left the interrogation room. As the two exited the jail, Quinn turned to Santana with a smug look. "What happened to 'grill the hell out of her?'"

"Fuck you Fabray."

xxxx

Brittany sat silently waiting for her visitor to arrive later that afternoon. She wondered briefly if it was Santana again. But when she looked up and saw her younger sister Hailey rushing towards her, Brittany wanted to scream in frustration or curl up and cry.

"What are you doing here?" she cried. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Brittany," Hailey exclaimed. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

Brittany's shoulders slumped. "They arrested me for killing Jackson."

"What?" Hailey cried again.

Brittany squared her shoulders. "Go back to school Hailey. I don't want you here. You have to get out of here. Please."

Hailey's mouth fell open in shock. "What? But Britt-"

"No!" Brittany interrupted. "Go back to school. I don't want you getting involved in this. Just let me take care of it please. I mean it; go back. I'll handle this. I killed him Hailey. I killed Jackson. Do you understand me? _I_ killed him so I'm ok with whatever happens. No go back to school, I don't want you here right now."

"But-_why_?"

"You know why!" Brittany yelled, her voice beginning to crack. "I killed him Hailey! I did it. Ok? Now please, get out of here!"

Brittany tried to appear strong and uncaring for her little sister. Hailey had tears streaming down her cheeks as she nodded silently. It was only after Hailey was gone and Brittany was back alone in her cell that she allowed her own tears to fall.

xxxx

"Santana Lopez!"

Santana turned at hearing her name. She startled slightly at the sight before her. It was Brittany but it couldn't be. "Hailey?" she asked shocked.

The last time she had seen Hailey Pierce; the blonde was a skinny twelve-year-old kid. Now standing before her was a beautiful young woman. Her resemblance to Brittany was remarkable even if she wasn't quite as tall as her older sister.

"That's right." Hailey replied. She rushed up to Santana, worry evident on her face. "Please tell me you're going to help her."

Santana ushered Hailey to her desk and away from any eavesdroppers. "I'm trying to but she won't talk to me. Have you seen her? Has she told you anything? Seriously Hailey, if you know anything, please tell me. I want to help her."

Hailey wrung her hands and glanced around nervously before finally meeting Santana's eye again. "You know she couldn't have done this. You know her, you know she would never hurt anyone!"

"I do know that." Santana replied. "But right now, it looks bad. I'm going to do everything I can to help her, and I think Quinn will too, but she has to talk to us. We have to have something to work with and she's not giving us anything!"

Hailey looked as if she was ready to cry. "She doesn't want to see me." She muttered sadly. "She told me to go back to school."

"She's just worried about you." Santana said, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "She's so proud of you, she just wants you to focus on your schooling. Congratulations by the way."

Hailey shrugged. "Brittany is all I have left and I'm all she has. School doesn't matter right now."

Santana nodded. "How did you know to come down here? She asked us not to call you."

"Mike Chang." Hailey said softly. "He and Brittany stayed pretty close. She worked at his dance studio too. He called me. And then I saw it in the papers. William Vicks is really starting to make a big stink of all this isn't he?"

Santana clenched her jaw and nodded again. Mr. Vicks was in fact becoming a problem. Brittany's name was now all over the papers and there wasn't anyone in the City who didn't know about the case. Of course Jackson was being painted as the innocent victim of a crazed lover with a gun.

"I didn't realize Brittany and Mike kept in touch. Hell, I didn't even realize Mike was around here. You say they're pretty close?"

Hailey smiled slightly. "Yeah, Tina too. Mike and Tina got married a few years back and they've helped Brittany out quite a bit. They might even be able to tell you something about Jackson, I don't know though."

"What about you, can you tell me anything about Jackson?" Santana asked. "They were dating for four years, surely you were with them together. What was he like? Did he ever hurt her?"

"I'm sorry." Hailey said quickly. "I can't really tell you much. I was away at school and she worked so much. I don't know how they even had much time together themselves. I never saw him hurt her and I did ask once right after they started dating. She had some bruises but she said she fell and you know how spacey she can be. I just took her word for it. Maybe Mike would know more, he saw her almost every day at the studio."

"Thank you Hailey." Santana said. "Brittany has been in there for days now and she hasn't been willing to give us anything and now, ten minutes with you and I've at least got a lead on someone else to have a chat with. Hopefully Mike will be able to give us a little more information."

Hailey nodded. "I want you to help my sister. Like I said, she's all I've got left."

"I will." Santana said firmly. "I'm going to help her, I swear it."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - Here is the next chapter. I've got more written but I won't be able to post for a few days. I have to go away for the weekend but I hope to post again on Monday. As always, thanks for sticking with me!

Chapter 6

Puck pulled into the parking lot of the small gun shop outside of town. He was following the lead on the registration and decided to pick up the surveillance video himself. He stepped out of the car and made sure his badge was visible on his belt before stepping toward the store.

An elderly man glanced up as the bell on the door chimed and nodded in Puck's direction. "What can I do for you Officer?" the man called as Puck stepped up to the desk.

"I'm Detective Puckerman. You spoke to a Detective Rico on the phone about a gun that was bought and registered here a few weeks ago."

"Oh yes." The man replied with another nod. "The .38 that ended up killing that lawyer's son. I remember. You're here for the surveillance video right?"

Puck nodded in the affirmative and eyed the man as he turned and shuffled into an office behind the desk. The man returned after only a few moments with a video in his hand.

"What can you tell me about the girl who came in and bought the gun?" Puck asked.

The man smiled and scooted the tape across the display counter. "She was quite a looker. Tall and blonde. She didn't have much to say but she had her two forms of ID that we require and everything checked out. I have to say though; the video quality isn't that great. She was wearing a hat so you can't really see her all that clearly. But I checked both of her ID's myself. I even tried to sign her up for my gun safety class, she could draw in quite a few extra paying customers, but she said it wasn't necessary. Said she already had the classes and knew how to handle it just fine."

Puck thanked the man and returned to his car with the video. He definitely wanted to review it before handing it off to Santana if for no other reason than to be there to break the news that even more evidence was piling up against Brittany. That saying about a picture being worth a thousand words came to mind as he glanced over at the tape again before heading back to the City.

xxxx

"_Santana, let me see."_

"_No." Santana sulked. _

"_San," Brittany whined. "Please, let me see. You might need a stitch or something."_

_Santana had to giggle at Brittany's attempt at a medical diagnosis. "B, I don't need stitches, I'm not bleeding. It's just a black eye."_

_Brittany squinted and stuck her tongue out to the side slightly as she moved in closer to better assess the damage to her friend's eye. Her assessment included a firm poke to the bruising area under Santana's eye, which resulted in a yelp from the brunette._

"_Sorry San! I'm sorry! Here, come on, I'll fix this."_

_Eight-year-old Brittany pulled Santana along by the hand all the way back to her own kitchen a few blocks away from where the neighborhood kids had gathered to play. She gently gave Santana's shoulder a shove and eyed the brunette until she plopped down into the kitchen chair. Brittany pulled another chair up to the refrigerator and stepping up onto it, opened the freezer and began rummaging through._

"_Brittany, what are you doing?" Santana asked cautiously._

"_Looking for something." Brittany called over her shoulder. The little blonde was standing on her tiptoes and digging into the far recesses of the freezer. Finally, with a squeal of delight, she jumped down from the chair in triumph._

_She turned around and ripped open the package of frozen meat, pulling out one piece before dropping the rest onto the floor behind her. Santana eyed her curiously._

"_Last month when Grace got elbowed in her volleyball game she got a black eye. Mama said putting meat on it would help the swelting. And then she put meat on her face."_

"_Swelling, B, it will help with the swelling. And I'm not sure if this is what she meant. This is a frozen chicken Britt. It's cold."_

_Brittany giggled at the sight of Santana with a large piece of chicken plastered to her face. But then she remembered how her friend had gotten the black eye and her smile faded. Santana noticed the change in her mood and lowered the chicken. "What's wrong B?"_

_The blonde lowered her gaze and scuffed her sneaker on the kitchen floor. "I'm sorry you got hit because of me Sany." She whispered. Brittany sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand as crocodile tears began to leak from her eyes._

"_Don't cry B!" Santana said as she jumped up from the chair and wrapped her slender arms around the blonde. "I'm not sorry. Davie Karofsky is a butt-faced meanie for calling you dumb. And if he ever bothers you again I'll do more than pour his juice box in his lap."_

_Brittany smiled at the memory of the wet spot on little Davie's pants. "That was pretty funny San. He looked like he had peed himself."_

"_He probably did pee himself before I finished with him. I may have a black eye but at least I still have all my teeth, right B?"_

_Brittany smiled widely. "That's right San. Your eye is still pretty like Hershey kisses but now Davie can't even eat corn on the cob without slobberin'."_

_Santana giggled. "He probably couldn't anyway!"_

"_Thanks Sany." Brittany said softly after their giggles died down. "You're my best friend in the whole wide world. And I don't care if Davie thinks I'm dumb. He's dumber than me. I don't care what anyone thinks but you. You're my Sany."_

"_Yep, I'm your best friend. And you're mine. And I'm always going to beat up bad guys for you B."_

"_Promise?" Brittany asked softly, eyes wide._

_Santana raised the still frozen chicken breast to her eye and smiled. "Promise."_

xxxx

Santana was growing tired of sitting in this small room, waiting for Brittany to be escorted in. Every time she left she felt more dejected and frustrated. Never before had she had such trouble getting someone to cooperate with her. But more importantly, never before had she had so much trouble getting Brittany to open up to her. But, she had to remind herself, that she had never been so personally invested in a case before either. She briefly considered that maybe she did need to let Puck question Brittany. Maybe she would open up to him.

For some reason, Santana felt the need to see Brittany before she went to talk to Mike Chang. The brunette called Mike and he seemed eager to chat with her. They were set to meet later that afternoon at a coffee shop near his studio. She could only hope that she would at least gain a bit of insight on Brittany's life after talking to their old friend.

Santana was deep in thought when she finally heard the door open and heard a shuffling sound. She assumed Brittany was shackled and cuffed for some reason but when she glanced up at the blonde, a gasp escaped her throat.

Brittany was limping badly and holding on to the wall for support as she made her way to Santana's table. Her lip was split and swollen and her right eye was severely bruised. There were scratches on her neck and arms as well and a gash on her forehead was bandaged with speckles of blood seeping through.

"Brittany?" Santana exclaimed, standing to her feet. "What the hell? What happened?"

Brittany shrugged and winced at the motion. "Oh, don't worry about me San. You should see the other guy."

"Brittany!"

"What's the matter San? Did I get the saying wrong?" Brittany asked, a worried look flashing across her face.

Santana grasped Brittany's arm and helped her ease into the chair. "No, Britt. You got the saying right. But what the hell? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok San. But there are some bad, rough people in jail." Brittany said quietly.

"Oh my God, B, what happened?" Santana cried. Brittany looked up into Santana's dark eyes and a smile began to make its way onto her battered face. Santana just gawked. "What could you possibly be smiling about? You're hurt! For all I know you were mobbed by a bunch of crazy bitches in general population because you wouldn't join their lesbian quilting gang or whatever and you're smiling. What the fuck are you smiling about."

Brittany choked back tears but the smile didn't falter. "You called me 'B'. I wasn't sure I'd ever hear you call me that again. I'm sorry." She whispered, wiping at her cheeks. "I'm glad I got to hear it again."

Santana was at a bit of a loss as to what to say to Brittany's revelation. The two simply sat for a few minutes, Santana gently stroking Brittany's hand.

"Tell me who did this." Santana finally said with a growl. "Quinn and I can make sure they pay for it. Whatever their release date is, well you can guarantee it's now pushed back indefinitely."

Brittany shook her head. "Don't worry about it San. It doesn't matter; I'm ok. I need to be tougher, I need to get used to this life. I think this afternoon I might try to learn to shank somebody. What does that mean by the way?"

"Fuck Brittany!" Santana yelled, causing Brittany to flinch. "Shank means stab. Did someone threaten to shank you? Is that what's going on? Fuck! I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing. Someone hurt you and I'm going to make sure they pay. You may not want to help yourself but I am going to help you. Whether you like it or not!"

Brittany wiped at the tears falling from her eyes. She wasn't certain if it was the old protective Santana shining through or the fact that she was emotionally and physically exhausted from this ordeal, but she began to crumble. "I've missed you San. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt you and that I left and never came back. I'm so sorry Santana!"

Brittany was openly sobbing now and honestly, it frightened Santana. She rounded the table and dropped into the chair next to the blonde and pulled her into her arms. Brittany cried onto Santana's shoulder and the brunette just held her tightly.

"B. Please talk to me. I'm begging you."

Brittany sniffled and pulled away slightly but didn't let go of Santana. "I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't."

Santana stared deeply into Brittany's sad blue eyes and nodded. "I don't know what you're so afraid of. I don't know why you can't tell me what really happened but I'll be here whenever you decide to talk. Until then, you're clearly not safe in jail. I'm going to get you out of here. I'll think of something."

"But-"

"No Britt." Santana said, cutting her off. "I'm talking to Quinn today and we'll think of something. No one deserves to be attacked and hurt. Trust me, I'll get you out of here."

Brittany nodded as the guard came to take her back to her cell. Santana watched as the man took the blonde by the arm and, not too gently, pulled her from her seat.

"Officer," Santana called to the man. "She's obviously hurt so try to keep control of your inmates and make sure it doesn't happen again."

The man smirked and eyed Brittany up and down. "Oh don't worry, I'll keep my eye on this one."

Santana felt sick as the guard led Brittany to the door. "Brittany, I swear, I'll figure out a way to get you out of here."

The blonde just shrugged and smiled sadly over her shoulder as the door slammed behind her.

xxxx

"Quinn, she's not safe there!" Santana exclaimed, pacing in her friend's office.

Quinn looked worried and rubbed at her temples. "Maybe the guards can keep an eye on her and stop anything else from happening."

Santana shook her head. "No, you should have seen the look that jerk of a guard gave her. She's not safe there Quinn. And even if she didn't have the guards to worry about as well, she can't protect herself. She doesn't know how to fight and protect herself Quinn!"

"Ok. So what do we do?" Quinn asked calmly. "Maybe I should get that doctor involved now. If she were to be declared incompetent or something we could get her into a mental facility instead."

Santana sighed and shook her head. "She's not incompetent. We both know that. But maybe we could just get the doctor to declare she's not any kind of a threat. Maybe if we could just get the judge to set bail we could get her out pending trial."

"I think I know a doctor who might be willing to help us out. He owes me a favor since I totally covered his ass when he forgot about a court date last month. The judge wanted to throw him in jail for contempt but I managed to convince him to let it slide. If we talk to Dr. Morgan ahead of time and let him know what we're looking for, I bet he'd be willing to see things our way." Quinn replied, already reaching for her phone.

"Quinn," Santana asked with a cocked brow, "Are you suggesting we take advantage of this doctor owing you a favor? I love it. And it reminds me once again of why you're going to be fucking mayor of this City someday, I swear to God, you're a genius."

xxxx

By the end of the day, Quinn had called in her favor and Dr. Morgan met with Brittany at the jail. He even agreed to appear before the judge and testify as to his opinion of her harmlessness. Quinn had quickly scheduled another court appearance and Santana had called to reschedule with Mike Chang.

The judge narrowed her eyes as she took in the scene before her. Dr. Morgan had just stepped down from the witness stand and took a seat back in the gallery. Brittany was standing and looking as bewildered as Santana had ever seen her.

"And just where do you suggest Ms. Pierce stay while awaiting trial if not the jail?" The judge asked flatly. "I appreciate Dr. Morgan's opinion that Ms. Pierce is not a threat to the community even though she _is_ accused of killing a man in cold blood. But that doesn't change the fact that she will need supervision."

Santana stood to her feet and squared her shoulders. "Your Honor, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think I can help with that problem. Ms. Pierce can stay with me."

The judge cocked a brow. "Stay with you? The detective in charge of investigating her murder allegations? Don't you agree that is a bit…unorthodox?"

Santana cleared her throat and glanced at Quinn. "Your Honor, I have officially stepped down from the investigation as of today. We have an ankle bracelet with a GPS monitor attached that Ms. Pierce can wear so that we can always be aware of her location. And technically, if she were to stay with me, she would still be in police custody."

"Your Honor," Quinn interjected, "It is a bit unorthodox but at this point we're simply asking for a bond to be granted in the Defendant's case. As the prosecuting attorney, even I have to admit that Ms. Pierce is innocent until proven guilty and even if she had been convicted, she doesn't deserve to be beaten and put in physical danger. She's not safe where she is now and we have the means to correct that. And I can assure you, this will not in any way bias the prosecution of this case."

The judge nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "Very well, I'll set bail at $50,000. If she is able to make bond, she's to stay with you Detective Lopez. That'll be all for today."

The judge stepped down from the bench and Santana watched as Brittany was once again led away from the courtroom. Santana was certain the blonde still had no idea what had really happened. She stepped closer to Quinn when they were alone.

"Well, that's good and bad." She muttered. At Quinn's wary look, Santana continued. "We got the judge to grant a bond but where in the hell are we going to get that kind of money?"

Quinn grasped Santana's hand and squeezed. "I'll figure that out, don't worry. It's going to be ok. We got what we wanted, now we just have to figure out the details and get her out of there."

Santana nodded. "You're right. I have a little money saved, I'll use that but it's still not quite enough. But you're right, at least now we _can_ actually get her out."

"Just let me worry about the money Santana." Quinn said softly. "By the way, you're now officially off the case?" Santana nodded yet again, attempting but failing at innocence. "But let me guess, _un_officially, Puck is still funneling all the information to you, am I right?"

Santana smirked. "Exactly."

xxxx

Santana was arguing with the bail bondsman when she heard the door open and shut behind her. Whirling, she saw Quinn saunter up to the desk and drop a ridiculously large amount of cash in front of the bondsman.

"I think this should cover your fees as well as the bail placed by the judge." She said with a smile. "Now go on, get this to whoever needs to be paid and get Brittany out of there."

The man stuttered but nodded and quickly exited the room to get the process rolling. Santana just stared, speechless for a solid minute.

"Where-how-Quinn, where did you get that kind of money?" she hissed. "And how did you avoid being mugged on the way down here?"

Quinn chuckled. "I just had a little talk with my parents. They were more than happy to help out. And I'm Quinn Fabray, even the worst criminals know better than to mess with me. Now, don't just stand there, you've got to go sign your girl out of jail."

"Quinn," Santana whispered, tears in her eyes. "I don't know how to-"

"Shut up." Quinn interrupted. "The day Santana Lopez shows gratitude for something, or any human emotion other than pissiness for that matter, is the day the world ends I'm certain of it. And I'm just not ready for that so shut it. And Santana? Now that she's in your custody, you'd better figure out what the hell actually happened. I'm not going to enjoy sending one of my oldest friends away for the rest of her life so you better figure out the truth in this mess."

Santana clenched her jaw to fight back the tears that were still stinging her eyes. She nodded and instead of biting back with a witty retort, she threw her arms around Quinn and held her tightly.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N - Here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy. I think I've forgotten to say that I don't own Glee but that's pretty obvious. Thanks again for all the alerts and reviews and for reading in general. Oh, and I think this is going to be 10 chapters in all. Just fyi :)

Chapter 7

_Santana finally lugged the final box into their new apartment. Brittany was sprawled on the floor making what appeared to be snow angels on the carpet._

_"B, you do know that only works in the snow right? The carpet isn't going to leave a print of your 'angel'." Santana said with a chuckle._

_Brittany giggled from the floor, looking up at Santana. Seeing the brunette upside down as she peered down at her just made the blonde laugh harder. "I know San." She said, tilting her head backwards even more to be able to see Santana better. "I'm just claiming this place as our own."_

_"Claiming?" Santana laughed, plopping herself down on the floor next to her girlfriend. "Didn't our deposit check already claim it for us?"_

_Brittany shook her head and rolled onto her side, eyeing Santana with a wide smile. "I guess money secures this place for us but it doesn't make it ours San. I'm just getting to know the space a little better. And this place is ours, all ours. It's our first place together!"_

_Santana smiled and scooted closer to the blonde on the floor. "Yeah, it's all ours B. You are officially my live in girlfriend. That's big, I hope you realize." Santana said with a chuckle._

_"Oh yeah." Brittany said with a laugh. "From the girl who wouldn't commit until forced to by threat of bodily harm or no sex ever again, even I can appreciate how huge this occasion is. Santana Lopez has settled down. I'm happy San, you've made me happy. I hope you know how much. I love you a lot."_

_Santana smiled and leaned closer to press a chaste kiss to Brittany's lips. "I love you a lot too."_

_"It was totally awesome of your parents to pay for this place for the first six months until we get settled." Brittany said with a content sigh._

_Santana pulled Brittany closer to her and pressed another kiss to her cheek. "It was great of them B. We can take this time to figure out what we're going to do with ourselves, other than be a ridiculously happy live in couple. You'll get your break dancing soon and I'll figure out what in the world I'm going to do. Until then…I was thinking of another way we can claim this place as our own."_

_Brittany smiled at Santana's suggestive tone. "Yeah." She replied breathlessly as Santana began placing kisses down her pale neck. "I think she should claim every room as ours. It only seems fair, wouldn't want the kitchen to feel less important than the bedrooms."_

_"B," Santana muttered, fumbling with the zipper on the blonde's jeans, "too much talking, not enough claiming."_

_Brittany giggled. "Yes ma'am."_

xxxx

Santana silently led Brittany through the door of the apartment, the same apartment she and Brittany had picked out when first getting settled into the City. Brittany eyed her surroundings.

"San," she said quietly. "I never expected you to still be living in the same place. I thought you would have moved by now."

"Nah." Santana muttered, dropping Brittany's bags in the spare bedroom. "This place has always felt like home. The option to buy came up and I jumped at it. Well, you should at least be comfortable here I guess since you're familiar with it."

Brittany smiled sadly. "I feel like I shouldn't be here. This is your home Santana, I hate to intrude."

"You should have thought of that before you dragged me into the middle of your murder mystery." Santana replied. She was smiling slightly, her voice devoid of any bitterness or anger. Brittany chuckled at her easy tone.

"Good point." She eased herself onto the couch, still stiff and sore from her recent attack. "I-I'm not sure how to thank you for getting me out of there Santana. I can't believe how great you're being with all of this. You seem really serious about your job and now you're just dropping out of this case because I need a place to stay? I don't deserve your help Santana."

The brunette scratched her neck awkwardly and glanced at her feet. "Well, I'm just officially off the case. Puck is still going to keep me updated. And I'm not going to let up on you, now that you're staying here, I fully intend to crack you and get to the real story here. Just giving you a heads up."

Brittany smiled but winced at the pull on her split lip. "So is this like, a battle to see who is the most stubborn? Because I'm totally up to the challenge. I'm like a ninja now; I can totally keep quiet when I have to. You'll see you have no effect on me Detective Lopez."

Santana smiled at their easy banter. "Oh, we'll see about that Ms. Pierce." She caught herself before she sidled up to the blonde, as would have been her custom when they were still together. She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. "Why don't you go get yourself cleaned up a bit? You know where the bathroom is. Then I'll order up some dinner for us."

Brittany nodded and slipped silently past the brunette and down the hall toward the bathroom.

xxxx

The two passed the night quietly over Chinese takeout. Brittany was exhausted and retreated to the spare bedroom fairly early.

"Thanks again Santana." She said softly, stopping in the living room doorway. "I think I might actually be able to sleep tonight. I feel safe here."

Santana smiled and gave a small nod before the blonde disappeared. She however, was fairly certain sleep would not come easily for her that night. Brittany was spending the night in their apartment for the first time in almost ten years. Try as she might, Santana couldn't stop her mind from wandering to other nights the two had shared in that very apartment. Sighing, Santana pulled a beer out of the refrigerator and retreated to lock herself into her own bedroom for the night.

xxxx

The following morning, Santana woke to the smell of heaven. Not at all a morning person, she sleepily stumbled her way out to the kitchen and gawked at the sight. Her kitchen had been destroyed. Dishes were covering every available space and there was a substance on the ceiling that looked suspiciously like eggs. But it smelled wonderful.

"Brittany?" Santana croaked in shock at the sight of the blonde dishing the breakfast food out onto two plates. Brittany turned and gave her a bright smile.

"Good morning San. Here, I have coffee for you. I know you can't really even say your own name first thing in the morning without coffee. I made it extra strong, just for you."

Brittany almost immediately placed a steaming hot cup of coffee into Santana's waiting hands and giggled at the brunette's speechlessness.

"Oh God," Santana muttered, after taking a few sips of the warm liquid. "This is perfect. I can't even make my own coffee to taste this good. I'm impressed."

Brittany smiled widely again. "I told you I learned to cook a few things. Coffee being one of them."

Santana chuckled at Brittany's idea of 'cooking' coffee but let it slide. She was not about to complain about the perfection in front of her. It was only after the caffeine had enough time to hit her system that Santana was finally awake enough to actually look at the woman sitting across the kitchen table.

Brittany was dressed in a tank top and pair of sweatpants she borrowed from Santana. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pony and for the first time since being reunited, Santana thought she looked almost back to her old self.

The sight of Brittany sitting in her kitchen, in her clothes once again dredged up a flood of memories. A top priority for the day would most definitely be to locate some of Brittany's own clothes. The sight in front of her was simply too tempting.

"Sorry about the mess." Brittany said sheepishly after a few minutes of silence. "I promise I'll clean up. Even the stuff on the ceiling."

Santana chuckled. "It's ok. But how did you manage to get egg on the ceiling?"

Brittany scratched her head before tilting it to the side, staring up at the mess. "I have no idea. Stuff just tends to happen to me."

"Very true." Santana muttered with a frown.

Santana helped Brittany clean the mess in the kitchen and more than once had to restrain herself from reaching for the blonde. It almost seemed like old times as they laughed at everything and nothing.

When the two reached for the same dish at the same time and their hands met, both froze. Santana turned and for the first time realized just how closely the two were standing. She could feel Brittany's warm breath on her cheek.

"I, um, I think I should go clean myself up." Brittany whispered. "I got flour and stuff all…I'm gonna go." She turned and fled from the kitchen and when the bathroom door finally clicked closed, Santana let out the breath she had been holding.

Santana listened as the water started up in the bathroom. She then sank down into one of the kitchen chairs and buried her head in her arms and briefly wondered what in the hell she was thinking bringing her ex girlfriend home to live with her. This was going to be bad, she was certain.

A knock at the front door of the apartment caused her to snap her head up. Santana hopped up from the table and after glancing down the hall toward the bathroom, headed to the door. Puck slipped in and glanced around almost nervously.

"What's up Puckerman?"

"Brittany here yet?" He asked, again glancing around.

Santana nodded. "She's cleaning up in the bathroom. As…awkward as it might with her here, I can at least rest knowing she's safe. They really beat the shit out of her Puck."

Puck sighed and dropped a folder onto the kitchen table, along with the GPS ankle bracelet for Brittany to wear. "Well, apparently this isn't the first time she's taken a beating or been hospitalized for an injury of some sort. In fact, she's probably used to it."

Santana felt the air leave her lungs in a rush as she looked over the documents in front of her.

xxxx

Brittany slipped quietly into the kitchen clad in the borrowed t-shirt and sweatpants Santana provided yet again. Her hair was damp and hanging over her shoulders limply. Puck was standing by the sink with his arms crossed tightly over his chest while Santana was slumped over the papers on the table.

"San?"

Santana's head snapped up. Brittany searched Santana's face. It was clear she was upset about something. The brunette stood up slowly from the table and made her way to stand directly in front of Brittany. The blonde's eyes widened in surprise when Santana threw her arms around her and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Brittany." Santana said softly. She pulled away slightly but kept her hands on Brittany's shoulders. "I think maybe I understand now."

Brittany tensed and shook Santana's hands off. She stepped around the brunette and moved to the table to see just what had upset Santana.

"Are these…my medical records?" Brittany whispered.

Santana stepped closer and placed a hand on her back gently. "Yeah, we just got them. You've been hospitalized twice in the last two years B. And both times, Jackson is the one who brought you in. The first time, according to the records, he told the nurses you had been mugged. And the second time, just three months ago, his excuse was that you fell down some stairs? Come on Brittany. It was Jackson wasn't it?"

"No." Brittany muttered. "We were mugged and I fell down the stairs."

"Then where is the police report Brittany?" Puck cut in. "I've dug up everything I can find on you and there's no trace that you ever filed a criminal complaint for being jumped in an alley like that dude claimed."

"I didn't see the guy. I couldn't ID him so what was the point in a police report?"

Santana scoffed. "Convenient that you were the only one with any injuries. What, did Jackson just let this creep wail on you without stepping in to help? Or was it Jackson doing the wailing? And what about the stairs B? Awfully convenient that Jackson was yet again the only witness."

"I fell." Santana had to strain to make out Brittany's words her voice was so quiet.

"Brittany," Santana replied gently. "Did he know you were pregnant? When he shoved you down the stairs, did he know? Is that why he pushed you, he didn't want the baby? You lost the baby because of him didn't you?"

Brittany's lower lip began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears as she dropped wearily into a chair. "He knew. But he wanted the baby, he did! I'm sure he wanted the baby. Who wouldn't want a baby…"

"Then what," Santana asked, scooting closer. "He just couldn't control himself when he was angry? What made him so angry that he pushed you down the stairs?"

"I-I didn't say that. I didn't say he pushed me Santana. You're putting words into my mouth." Brittany cried. She wiped at her cheeks and winced at the still-tender bruises there. She stood shakily to her feet. "Please Santana, can you just leave it alone?"

"No." Santana said firmly. "No, I can't. I'm going to talk to Mike Chang today; maybe he'll actually talk to me since you won't. Now, Brittany, you have to wear this GPS ankle bracelet and Puck, you stay here and keep an eye on her. I'll be back."

xxxx

Santana eyed the coffee shop, looking for her old friend. Mike smiled sadly and waved. She nodded and moved toward his table in the back.

"Hello Santana." He said softly. He was just the same as she remembered. Sweet disposition, tall and lean, warm smile. Santana smiled.

"Hey Mike."

They sat in silence for a few moments, not sure where to begin. Santana cleared her throat awkwardly and pulled Brittany's file from her bag.

"I suppose you know why I'm here." She said softly.

Mike nodded slightly, a sad look on his face. "You want to know what I know about Brittany and Jackson."

"More than just that." Santana said firmly. "Absolutely, I want to know everything about their relationship. But I also want to know what Brittany's life has been like these last ten years."

"Yeah, well, why should I tell you anything?" Mike says, eying her suspiciously. "You just want to get a conviction. You think you've got your killer. That's all that you people care about."

Santana leaned forward across the table, her gaze unwavering. "That's not true. I want to help her, honest to God. The Brittany I know…the Brittany I loved, she's no killer. I know he hurt her. I have medical records. I just can't get her to open up to me. She's hiding something, I know it."

Mike stared at the table. "I tried to tell her he wasn't good for her. I don't think she cared though. She didn't even try to convince anyone she loved him. But he wasn't the kind of guy she could get rid of easily. I think she tried to break if off with him but that resulted in her first hospital visit."

Santana felt her fists clench at the thought of Brittany with someone who could hurt her like that. "The mugging as Jackson called it?" At Mike's sad nod, Santana continued. "Why won't she talk to me? I can help her! But there's nothing I can do if she won't talk to me. Quinn could help her, she could reduce the charge if we could just get her to admit that he was beating her and she was protecting herself. We could help her if she would just let us."

"Brittany has tried her hardest to be independent these last years." Mike said. "She hasn't had an easy time of it, trying to support herself and cover Hailey's tuition. Tina and I helped when we could but…"

"Did you know she was pregnant?" Santana asked. Mike's wince gave her the answer she needed. "Did you know Jackson was hurting her?"

Mike looked almost sick. "She never would really talk about it so she never actually admitted anything. And I never actually saw him hurt her myself but come on, what else could it be? But she finally stopped even trying to deny it.

I saw his temper enough times to know without a doubt he was capable of hurting her. And Tina and I tried to convince her to get away from him. We even threatened to go to the police ourselves but she begged us not to. She wouldn't even let us tell Hailey. When Brittany doesn't want to talk, she can be just about as stubborn as anyone I've ever met.

Tina and I even tried to talk to Jackson but when Britt found out, it just upset her. She didn't talk to us for a week. And no way could we just leave her alone with that guy so we apologized and promised to stay out of it. It wasn't until three months ago, after she lost the baby, that Brittany finally admitted that she had to get away from him. I think even he knew it was over after that."

"Did she say anything about how she was going to get away from him?" Santana asked, almost afraid of the answer. "If she said anything about buying a gun or getting rid of him-"

"I wouldn't tell you." Mike cut in. "She didn't. But I wouldn't tell you if she did. If you ask me, he deserved what he got."

"Would you and Tina be willing to testify about any of this?"

Mike nodded. "Or course. We're Brittany's friends, we want to help her. Tina's been a mess since she found out Brittany was arrested. If Brittany did kill Jackson, he forced her to do it."

Santana nodded. "So how is Tina? I heard you two were married, congratulations. I was always pulling for the Asian fusion." She said with a smile.

Mike chuckled. "Thanks. We're doing pretty well. I own a dance studio and Tina teaches there. Brittany too. In fact the kids have really been missing her, she's great with them."

Santana smiled, picturing the blonde teaching hip-hop to kids. "I bet she is. Listen, I don't want too many people to know about this but, Brittany is staying with me. Quinn managed to get her out of jail so she's at my place right now with Puck. Obviously, Puck and I still have some work to do and Brittany can't be left alone and I'd really rather she not leave the apartment either. Do you think maybe you and Tina could help out? You know, just keep her company while I'm out now and then?"

"Absolutely, we'd be happy to help." Mike replied. "We can come over whenever you need."

"Great. I really appreciate it. Why don't you both come over tonight? I'm sure Brittany will be glad to see you. I'll see if Quinn can come too and I'm sure Puck will be up for it."

"It'll be a regular high school reunion." Mike said with a smile. "We'll be there."

xxxx

Santana found Quinn easily. The blonde could almost always be found in her office working if she wasn't in court. Quinn didn't even look up as Santana slumped into a chair across from her desk.

"How's it going?" Quinn asked smoothly, finally placing her pen down and glancing up from the file she was working on. "Anything new develop that I should know about?

"She was pregnant. He hurt her and she lost the baby. That was three months ago."

"Oh God." Quinn whispered. "Santana, if Brittany has been planning this for three months, it was clearly premeditated. No judge in the world would agree to a reduction if she was planning this for three months."

"That's what you're taking away from this?" Santana asked incredulously. "Our friend was dating a monster who got her pregnant and then shoved her down a flight of stairs and made her miscarry. And all you're thinking about is premeditation?"

If Quinn was fazed by Santana's rant, she didn't show it. "Santana, one of us has to keep a level and professional head about this. Does it make me sick that Brittany had to suffer through this? Absolutely. But does it put yet another twist in this shit storm that could convince a judge that Brittany had planned this out months in advance? Yeah, it does. Three months ago he causes her to lose a baby, three weeks ago she's on tape buying a gun. You have to understand that there are going to be problems getting past all this."

Santana jumped up from the chair and began to pace. "But what about the baby? I have hospital records Quinn; he put her in the hospital twice. And Mike Chang is willing to testify about Jackson's temper and that Brittany was trying to get away from him. He forced her hand Quinn!"

Quinn nodded calmly. It was beginning to grate on Santana's nerves just how calm Quinn could appear. The blonde poured a drink from her decanter and slid it across the desk to Santana.

"Santana, I promise you, I'm going to do everything I can to help her. I promise."

Santana stared into Quinn's hazel eyes and felt slightly more at ease. She nodded. And then she downed the drink in one quick gulp.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – I'm posting quicker than I expected, points for me! Ok folks, this is a long chapter with two flashbacks and the second one is not pleasant. Just giving fair warning. It's not graphic but it does hint at a non-consensual encounter. And there is a bit of violence. I just wanted to put a warning out there. And I still don't own Glee.

Chapter 8

_"So that's it, you're just going to leave?" Santana shouted from her position in the bedroom doorway. "Where the fuck do you think you're going to go?"_

_Brittany didn't look up from shoving clothes and other random belongings into a duffle bag. "I'm just doing what you've been telling me to do for months now Santana, leaving you alone."_

_Santana felt her anger boiling over. She wanted to throw things. She wanted to rip that duffle bag out from under Brittany's hands and fling it across the room. Most of all, she wanted to stop the blonde. But Santana Lopez had her pride and even after years of allowing Brittany to tear down the walls around her heart, there were always remnants ready to be rebuilt._

"_What is this about? Is it because I've been staying out late with Puck? Or is it because I can't find a decent job to keep paying for all of your expensive dance classes? Or wait, I know, is it because you want to fuck that cute little redhead in your Thursday afternoon class?"_

"_How dare you." Brittany said snapping to attention, her voice low and shaking with emotion. "How dare you Santana. There is nothing between me and Amy and you know it! She's just a friend. A friend who is actually around to talk to since you're out with Puck all the time. You don't do anything except go out with him and drink. Of course I want you to get a job! Does that make me crazy or unreasonable? Is me wanting you to actually do something with your life and pointing out that you're wasting it too dramastic?"_

"_Dramatic, B. Dra-mat-ic." Santana replied sarcastically. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I've tried to find a job? But I can't get a job when I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do with my life! Do you want me to waitress or work at a check out counter in the corner market? Because I'm Santana fucking Lopez and I don't do that. I don't see you waiting tables either to help pay the bills."_

"_Apparently Santana fucking Lopez doesn't do anything." Brittany muttered. "It's been nine months Santana! Nine! At least I'm doing _something_; at least I'm in classes trying to do something. You don't do anything but go out with Puck and get drunk. And I'm tired of it."_

_Santana growled lowly and inched closer to Brittany's position near the bed. The blonde briefly thought the Latina resembled a panther stalking its prey as she sauntered closer. "If you're so tired of it, just go. Get out of here. But just where do you think you're going to go? You think you can manage without me for even a week? You're not going to have me to clean up after you and explain every fucking thing to you. You couldn't even get through high school without me Brittany. You-"_

_Before Santana could complete her statement, she felt the biting sting of Brittany's hand against her face. Both were stunned to silence._

"_I'm leaving Santana." Brittany whispered harshly. "You'll see that I don't need you as much as you think I do. In fact, I think it's the other way around. You need me a lot more than I need you. I just hope you figure that out before it's too late."_

_Santana didn't move from her spot in the bedroom for many minutes after she heard the front door slam behind Brittany._

_It only took Santana all of three days to realize that Brittany was of course right. She needed the blonde. She knew it all along, she always had. She bought a bouquet of roses and made dinner reservations for the nicest restaurant in town. She even picked up seven job applications._

_Santana showed up at Brittany's last class of the day and waited as the students streamed out after it ended. And waited. Santana furrowed her brow as she stepped inside the classroom trying to locate Brittany. She wasn't there. Brittany apparently hadn't been to class since she left their apartment._

_Santana immediately assumed the worst. She let the hapless blonde wander off alone and now she hadn't been seen in three days. Panic mode kicked in. She and Quinn checked everywhere and called everyone. Santana called Brittany's cell phone every half hour and sent numerous texts in between._

_After another week passed, they finally received word that Brittany had withdrawn from classes personally just two days before. They were at least assured that she was alive but it was clear she didn't intend to be found and she certainly didn't intend to return to Santana._

xxxx

Quinn remained behind at Santana's apartment to help clean up after Mike, Tina, and Puck left. They had all laughed and relived their glory days as if nothing was wrong in the world. Even Santana found herself relaxing as the evening wore on.

Brittany had fallen asleep not long after the company left. Santana couldn't help but wonder if she had gotten much sleep at all the last few days at the jail. She covered her with a blanket and carried the last stack of dirty plates into the kitchen where Quinn was loading the dishwasher.

"How are you?" Quinn asked as Santana approached.

Santana smiled and shrugged. "I'm glad she's safe…for now anyway. Until she gets sent away for murder. Even if the charge does get reduced, she's still looking at pretty significant time behind bars. Look at her, she won't last six months in jail Quinn."

"I'm aware of that." Quinn replied. "But I asked how _you're_ doing. Are you going to be able to handle her being here? You know I can't be seen here often so I can only help be a buffer so much. I will say bringing Mike and Tina into this was probably a good idea. I'm glad they're helping."

"Yeah, Mike especially has been really helpful so far. At least he's been willing to talk to me." Santana said with a wry grin.

Quinn glanced back into the living room where Brittany was asleep on the couch. "Has she um, said anything about the baby?"

Santana exhaled slowly and shook her head. "Not much. Just that Jackson knew about the baby when she 'fell' down the steps. She seems to think he wanted the baby but I don't know. Seriously Quinn, what do you think she's looking at?"

"Well," Quinn replied, placing the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, "best case scenario, the judge believes that Jackson did in fact somehow cause her miscarriage and takes pity on her and reduces the charge to manslaughter but that's a stretch. A manslaughter conviction, she could maybe be out in five years, maybe less. Worst-case scenario, I don't think I have to tell you. Something in the middle, second degree, maybe she could be out in ten to twenty years."

Santana turned away quickly to hide the tears stinging her eyes but it didn't go unnoticed by Quinn. "After ten years, after she walked out on you and never looked back, after more one night stands than I even want to think about, after the only reason she comes back into your life is because she's accused of murder, you're still in love with her."

Santana just clenched her jaw but didn't say anything.

xxxx

Santana had to chuckle as Brittany sat up from the couch and blinked the sleep away. Her hair was mussed and she had red crease lines on her face from the cushions. She stared off into space as if still in a daze until Quinn saying her goodbyes drew her attention back to her surroundings.

Brittany stiffly stood up and smiled as Quinn stepped closer. They shared an awkward silence before Quinn stepped forward and wrapped her arms gently around the other blonde. Brittany turned her head slightly, her nose buried in Quinn's soft hair. She inhaled, remembering her friend's scent and squeezed her softly.

"Goodnight Quinn." Brittany whispered pulling away. "I'm glad we got to hang out, it was like old times."

"Me too Britt." Quinn replied with a sad smile. "B, I-I'm really sorry. For all of this. I hope you know that if I could make this go away, I would. And the baby…I'm just really sorry."

Brittany smiled and shrugged, stepping away. She turned her back to Quinn as she and Santana said their goodbyes as well. When Santana glanced back to her new roommate, she again found Brittany staring off into space, a forlorn look on her face.

Santana settled down onto the couch beside the blonde and reached for her hand. Brittany startled slightly as if she hadn't yet noticed Santana's presence. A choked sob escaped her throat as she looked down at their linked pinkies.

"How can you…you should hate me Santana." Brittany whispered through her now falling tears. "I left you. I hurt you, I know I did."

"You did. You nearly killed me." Santana replied softly.

Brittany winced and quickly disentangled her hand from Santana's. "I should go. This is too much. I shouldn't be here. You shouldn't want me here!"

Santana reached and grabbed Brittany by the arm before she could bolt from the couch. "But I do want you here Brittany. I didn't want you to leave me then and I don't want you to leave now."

Before Santana could react, Brittany threw herself into the brunette's arms and let her tears flow. Santana held her tightly as Brittany burrowed further into her chest trembling. Santana tried to calm her with soothing words and by rubbing gentle circles on her back. Finally, Brittany seemed to collect herself. She hiccupped as she pulled away and wiped at her face again.

"Brittany," Santana asked quietly, gaze downcast. "Why? Why did you leave me? I guess I know why you left, the job thing and the drinking with Puck. But why didn't you come back? I looked everywhere for you."

"Y-you looked for me?" Brittany's voice cracked as she looked at Santana questioningly.

Santana seemed surprised that Brittany doubted. "Of course I looked for you! I went to all your classes. I called and texted nonstop for days. I tried to find your parents. Quinn and I even checked all the hospitals and even the morgue. Hell, even Puck tried to help. I think he felt guilty. In fact I think that's what led him to convince me to join the police academy with him. And I'm sorry Brittany. I'm sorry I drove you away! I'm sorry I let you leave."

Brittany groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry Santana, for everything. If I could go back and change everything I would. I wouldn't leave you San. I shouldn't have left you! I messed everything up. But I'm going to make up for it. I'm going to do the right thing this time, I swear."

"Brittany," Santana said softly, "I'm just worried that your idea of doing the right thing is to take the blame for something you shouldn't."

"There's a lot of evidence against me San." Brittany said quietly. "I don't plan to get out of this. I know you're trying hard to make excuses for me but it's only right that I take responsibility. Jackson may not have been a very good guy but he didn't deserve to die. And really San, if it was anyone other than me, would you be trying so hard to get a charge reduction?"

Santana chuckled. "Probably not. I admit that. Brittany, you and I have been connected since that first day we met when you accidentally tied our shoelaces together. Remember how we had to cut the laces you tied it so tight? Well, I've tried but I just can't seem to cut my ties to you. And I'm going to testify about everything I've found out about Jackson so far whether you like it or not. I'll do this without you if I have to."

Brittany looked pained as she took in Santana's words. "But San, if things don't work out for me, if…well, I just don't want you to waste your life waiting on me."

"Brittany, I've waited ten years for you. I'll wait as long as I have to."

xxxx

Santana found Puck waiting at her desk the following morning when she arrived at the station.

"Well, what other great news have you got for me today?" She asked with a frown.

Puck smirked. "I don't know where you've been the last week, but I sure as hell haven't heard any great news. Other than an asshole getting his but, ya know."

Santana nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could have killed Jackson Vicks myself. In my opinion, Brittany should be let go with a littering conviction."

"Fuck, that's harsh dude." Puck said with a laugh. "But what I do have, is Jackson's bank records. They just came through. Seems Jackson splurged for a five star hotel room in Connecticut five days before he was killed. Other than that, nothing too important showing up."

"Connecticut? Maybe he and Brittany went to see Hailey? Is there a surveillance video or anything from this place like with the gun shop?"

"It's on the way." Puck replied. "That'll take another couple of days apparently. They're sending the video and the stills they printed off."

"Ok." Santana said with a nod. "So today-"

"Santana we have a problem." Quinn interrupted, rounding the corner to Santana's desk. Puck and the brunette both whipped their heads around to see Quinn storming closer in her power suit.

"Quinn? What's the matter?" Santana asked.

Quinn practically growled as she came to a stop in front the two. "I'm kind of off the case."

"What the fuck? Kind of?"

"William Vicks has been pressuring to have my boss take this case. He says there isn't enough attention being paid to the murder of his son. So, I'm now just second chair to Darren Counts. Any and all plea-bargaining has to go through him and he has to approve it. And I have to have all the evidence on his desk by the end of the day."

"Darren Counts, _the_ District Attorney for the city. The one you said is just out for convictions and numbers." Santana clenched her jaw. "Fuck! So much for a charge reduction."

xxxx

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going to Mike and Tina's." Brittany said nervously._

_Jackson narrowed his eyes and slowly stood from his perch on the couch. "Did you finish straightening up the kitchen?"_

"_What?" Brittany asked, suddenly confused. "Yes, of course I did."_

_Jackson smiled his most charming smile and stepped closer to Brittany. He reached and placed a hand on her upper arm, turning her towards him slightly. With his free hand, he tucked a stray blonde lock behind her ear._

"_Wouldn't you rather stay here with me tonight instead? I had a long day, I'd like to relax with my girlfriend."_

_Brittany steeled her nerves and swatted Jackson's hand away from her hair. "No. I'm going to Mike and Tina's. And I'm not coming back." _

"_Excuse me?" Jackson replied, tightening his grip on Brittany's arm. "Just what do you mean you're not coming back?"_

"_I-I'm leaving you Jackson. I can't do this anymore."_

_Brittany's declaration was met with silence. She finally raised her eyes to meet his. They stood at almost the exact same height but she always had the feeling he was towering over her. Jackson's silence was beginning to unnerve her. Until he laughed. And then a chill shot straight through her._

"_You're not leaving me Brittany. You're never leaving me."_

_Brittany tried to shake off his vice like grip on her arm. "What are you going to do, hit me again? Do it! Because I swear I'll go to the police this time Jackson!"_

"_And just what do you think they're going do?" Jackson yelled, shoving the blonde backwards into the wall. "My father can get me out of anything. And no one gives a shit about a dumb blonde dancer with no family who barely graduated from high school. You could disappear and no one would even bother to look for you. I can do whatever the fuck I want to you. And you are not leaving me."_

_Brittany pushed herself off of the wall and rushed for the front door. Jackson caught her around the waist and spun, throwing her back toward the couch. _

"_What did I just say?" He shouted, hovering over her as she tried to scramble back to her feet. "You think your little Asian friends can keep me away from you? They can't stop me. And they wouldn't try. They don't need you so why should they bother?"_

"_I hate you." Brittany hissed through her clenched teeth. "God, I never should have left Santana." She moaned miserably._

_Jackson lunged for her and shoved her hard against the wall again. The thud of her head hitting the wall made Brittany's vision spin. "Santana again huh?" he growled. "I'm sick of hearing about that bitch. Well you know what? You did leave her and she didn't even care enough to come after you. Face it baby; you're stuck with me because no one else will have you. And you love me, I know you do."_

"_I don't love you. I may never get away from you, but I do not love you."_

_Jackson chuckled again. "Well you better pretend because I'd hate to have to seek out a certain look-alike to keep me company."_

_Brittany froze. "What? What do you mean?"_

"_Oh, I think you know what I mean. Little Hailey looks enough like you that I just bet I could pretend I was actually with you. Is she as flexible as you are? I wouldn't mind finding out."_

"_You mother fucking…you touch her and I swear to God I will kill you! Do you hear me? Jackson, I will kill you!"_

_Jackson laughed and pressed himself flush against the blonde. "Well then you better put on a good act tonight because if I'm not completely satisfied…well, I just happen to know your little sister is in the City with some friends tonight. And I'm a charming guy, wouldn't be much trouble to get into her pants. And if she resists…well, I'm also pretty strong now aren't I?"_

_Brittany squeezed her eyes shut and choked down a sob. "Fine." She whispered in defeat. "You stay away from her and I'll show you just how convincing I can be."_

_Jackson kissed her hard as he pinned her to the wall. When he broke away from her panting slightly, he roughly gripped her neck. "Say it. Say it baby." He growled._

"_I-I love you." Brittany whispered._

_Jackson's smile made her stomach churn as he roughly shoved her down onto the couch again and began fumbling at their clothing._

_Five weeks later Brittany realized she was pregnant._

xxxx

"I didn't want his baby." Brittany whispered a few evenings later.

She and Santana were settled in the living room, both lost in thought. Santana wasn't certain she heard correctly until she glanced up and saw the tell tale signs of tears pooling in Brittany's normally bright blue eyes.

Santana put her papers down and scooted closer to the blonde on the couch. She turned and braced her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head against her fist, giving Brittany her full attention. It was the first time Brittany had volunteered information.

Brittany cleared her throat but didn't make eye contact as she continued. "I wanted a baby, just not with him. And I lied to you. Jackson wasn't happy about the baby. Hell, I wasn't either really. I couldn't have a baby with him Santana, I couldn't."

Brittany finally turned and looked into Santana's eyes. The brunette felt her heart clench at the pain she saw reflected in Brittany's red-rimmed eyes. Santana could see the desperation and defeat in Brittany, as she didn't try to stop the tears from falling. The brunette was afraid to ask anything further, afraid Brittany would shut down all over again.

"B?" Santana reached and clutched Brittany's hand tightly.

Brittany clenched her eyes shut and slowly exhaled. "I woke up in the hospital." She said quietly. "We had dinner at his father's house. I didn't make a very good impression. For some reason Jackson was attached to me and actually cared what his father thought. But he thought it was my fault that his father didn't like me. I was tired of them yelling around me and at me like I wasn't even there so I got up and left. Jackson chased me.

The elevator to Mr. Vicks condo was taking too long so I decided to take the stairs. We argued some more and he hit me. I was in heels and I fell down the steps.

When I woke up Jackson was there, holding my hand. The nurse came in and said she was sorry but that I had lost the baby. Jackson…he told her that it was ok because I was going to abort it anyway. He said it was no big deal. I can't ever have any more kids because of that Santana, the damage I guess.

I didn't leave him soon enough and I let him hurt me and kill my baby. I should have left him the first time. I tried but I could have tried harder! I'd have probably just forgotten to feed it anyway." The blonde ended in a mumble.

Santana took a deep breath to try to calm herself after hearing Brittany finally open up. "You know what I think B?"

Brittany hummed her acknowledgement and shrugged.

"I think," Santana continued, "That it's probably a good thing Jackson Vicks is dead, otherwise I'd kill him myself."

Brittany finally smiled when Santana nudged her shoulder. The two fell silent again, both absorbing what had just passed between them. Finally, Santana broke the silence again.

"Britt, I want to talk to Quinn about this. She needs to know what he did to you. I mean, yeah, I told her what I knew, but she needs to know that you've confirmed it. She can pass the information to her boss and convince him to work with you. And…I really need you to tell me what happened the night Jackson died."

Brittany worried her bottom lip between her teeth and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "If Quinn heard about this, do you think she would reduce the charge? And do you think if she offers to reduce the charge we could just get this over with quicker? Why wait until the trial date, seems like a waste of time. I'll plead guilty, I would have that first day in court but that judge lady wouldn't let me. I've been trying to all along."

Santana groaned. She thought they had made some progress but Brittany was still bound and determined to plead guilty, not caring what the outcome would be.

"It's only fair." Brittany whispered, catching Santana's attention again. "I wanted to kill him since that day."

xxxx

Santana knew the look on Puck's face. She had known him long enough to be able to tell whenever he had bad news. He had that look a lot lately.

"Ok Puckerman, just spit it out. What have you got now?" Santana asked with a scowl.

Puck looked down at the papers in his hands almost guiltily. He finally sighed and handed them to her. "Surveillance video and pictures from that fancy hotel Jackson stayed at a few days before he died."

Santana nodded and began flipping through them. She felt the color drain from her face when she realized what she was looking at. The pictures were not particularly close up or clear but there was no doubt they showed a smiling and laughing Jackson with a smiling and laughing Brittany. There were even a few pictures of them holding each other and kissing.

"This was from five days before he was killed?" Santana muttered, incredulously. "They certainly don't look like a couple not getting along. And she certainly doesn't look like she wants to kill him."

"Well," Puck said with a sigh. "Maybe this is just one of his apology attempts."

"Looks like it's working." The brunette mumbled. "She and I are going to have a little chat about this tonight when I get home."

xxxx

By the end of the day Santana had had plenty of time to let her emotions stew over the new pictures. Her mood was only further soured when she and Puck had been called out to a routine robbery.

When they arrived on scene, it turned out the suspect was still there and it had turned into a hostage situation. After what seemed like hours of talking down the suspect, he had attempted to flee out a back alley.

Santana had been thrilled to be the one to catch up to him and work out some of her aggression but he had in fact put up quite a fight and now she was rather stiff and sore. So when she entered her apartment she was more than ready to confront Brittany about the new pictures.

Santana hung her coat up and followed the sound of voices and laughter coming from the kitchen. She rounded the corner and stopped at the sight of Tina and Brittany laughing. She cleared her throat to make her presence known.

"Oh, hey Santana!" Tina called happily. "Brittany was about to try to cook dinner and I was just reminding her of that bake sale fiasco in high school. Needless to say, pizza will be here for you guys in thirty minutes."

Santana smiled at not only the memory of the bake sale but also the sight of Brittany relaxed and clearly enjoying herself.

"Thanks Tina. That was a great save! I'm not sure my kitchen could take another dose of Brittany's cooking so soon." Santana chuckled.

Tina and Brittany hugged before Santana led the girl to the door. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and have pizza with us?"

Tina shook her head smiling. "Thanks but Mike and I already have plans. Santana," Tina said softly, "thanks for what you're doing for Brittany. I haven't seen her laugh like that in months. Maybe even longer."

Tina squeezed Santana's hand before turning and heading home for the night. Santana just watched her leave without another word. She exhaled slowly and returned to the kitchen where Brittany was still smiling and putting another pot of coffee on.

"B." Santana said firmly. "We have to talk."

Brittany turned with a questioning look but soon smiled brightly at Santana again. "Ok. What about San?"

Santana pulled the pictures from the hotel surveillance camera out of her bag and dropped them on the table. Brittany's smile faded slightly but remained in place as she shuffled over to the table to see what had upset Santana. Finally seeing the pictures, Brittany clenched her jaw and sank down into one of the chairs.

"What the fuck Brittany." Santana said, hovering over the blonde slightly. "These were taken five days before Jackson was killed. You certainly don't look like you wanted to kill him, you're practically fucking each other in the lobby!"

Brittany had her fists clenched and she was trembling. A lone tear made its way down her cheek as she continued to stare at the photos in front of her. Her silence only made Santana even angrier.

"Brittany I've been trying to help you through this mess and you have done nothing to help me and I'm fucking tired of it! You sit there and give me the sob story of how you lost the baby because of him but then you don't bother to mention that just five days before he turns up dead, you're off in some five star hotel in Connecticut for a romantic getaway! Let me guess, you two went to visit Hailey and just couldn't wait until you got home to go at it! You just don't look so fucking miserable in these pictures Brittany."

Brittany just continued to stare at the pictures in front of her. She tried to slow her breathing as Santana continued her rant.

"I mean, here I am trying to convince the fucking world that he was a monster and beating the shit out of you. That you had no choice but kill the fucker after everything he put you through. And now, I find out that the two of you were-"

"Shut up!" Brittany interrupted with a yell. "Just shut the fuck up Santana! It's been you the whole time. You're the one who's been pushing this and trying to get me out of it. You're the one who's determined to come up with some excuse. I've never even once hinted that I had an excuse for this. I've wanted to just take responsibility from the start but you won't fucking let me! So don't yell at me when something turns up that you don't like. Because Santana, this just isn't going to turn out the way you want it to. I did it and I'm not letting you or anyone else change that. So just back off!"

Santana was left speechless as Brittany stormed out of the kitchen. The sound of the spare bedroom door slamming finally jarred the brunette from her daze.

"Oh, fuck no." She growled, chasing after Brittany. "Brittany! I'm not finished, I want to talk to you."

Santana threw open the door and rushed in. Brittany whirled around surprised at the intrusion. "What? Get out! I'm done talking Santana."

"No. You don't get to just shut me out of this. You owe me this!"

"I owe you?" Brittany cried. "What do I owe you for?"

"You owe me for ruining my life!" Santana yelled in return. "You left me and that nearly killed me. You didn't return a single call or text; you disappeared for almost ten years. And now, the only reason you're here is because you don't have any choice! You owe me because you left me!"

"You let me leave!" Brittany cried miserably. "You practically pushed me out the door."

While the two had been exchanging words they had unintentionally closed the distance between them and were mere inches apart, trying to control their anger. Both froze when they realized just how closely they were standing. Santana stared into Brittany's deep blue eyes and felt her heart constrict and her anger cooled almost instantly.

"I'm sorry." Santana whispered, dropping her gaze to Brittany's lips. She reached up and tenderly brushed a tear from the blonde's cheek. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Brittany nodded slightly. She looked as if she was in a daze and swallowed thickly. "I'm-I'm sorry too." She said softly.

Santana felt a chill as Brittany's breath ghosted across her own lips as she leaned closer. Their foreheads touched and Brittany clenched her jaw. Santana cupped the blonde's cheek gently and with one final glance into those blue eyes, she kissed her.

The kiss was chaste and tender and when they pulled apart, Santana wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N – Ok, here the chapter with all the answers. Only one more to go after this one. Thanks again for everyone alerting, reviewing, and just reading. I still do not own Glee, blast and damn.

Chapter 9

Santana was lost in thought as she wandered into work the next morning. She and Brittany hadn't allowed things to progress further than a few searing kisses even though Santana was fairly certain both wanted to. Breakfast had been slightly awkward with Brittany hovering and chewing on her nails nervously.

Finally Santana had settled for a cup of coffee to go and escaped to the police department. She was even in such a hurry to get away that she left Brittany alone. She did however threaten the blonde with bodily harm if she left he apartment before Tina arrived.

Santana sighed as she flipped through the pictures yet again. She was certain she was right about Jackson hurting Brittany. Mike had confirmed it. Mike, she needed to talk to him again. Maybe he could help clear up the newest mess. Santana reached for her phone and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello, Mike? It's Santana. Do you have time to talk to me today? It's important."

Mike agreed to meet between his morning classes back at the same coffee shop they met in before. Two hours later she took a seat in a booth in the back and waited for her friend to arrive. When the chime to the door rang and she glanced up, a smiling Mike was making his way toward her.

"Hey Santana, what's up?" He asked, sliding in across from her.

She groaned slightly. "Just a little problem. Are you sure that in the last few weeks Brittany and Jackson weren't getting along? She hadn't forgiven him and taken him back or anything?"

"Well," Mike said hesitantly. "Like I said, they never actually broke up so they weren't apart for her to take him back. But every time we were around them they seemed miserable. And Brittany hadn't been herself since the baby. She stopped smiling and didn't even try to hide her disgust if he tried to touch her. Oh yeah, she was miserable."

"That's what I thought. But every time I think I have enough information to take to Quinn and ask for a charge reduction something else comes up."

Mike looked puzzled. "What's come up?"

Santana once again pulled Brittany's file from her bag and slid one of the pictures across the table to Mike. "Can you tell me anything about this picture? We found it after we got bank receipts back showing Jackson rented a hotel room in Connecticut just the week before he was killed, five days before to be exact. This picture is from the hotel surveillance camera and it doesn't look like a couple having trouble."

Mike squinted at the slightly grainy picture. "That's not Brittany." He said shaking his head.

"What?"

Mike looked back up and met Santana's eye. "No, that's not Brittany, that's Hailey. You said this was taken just a week before he was killed? That can't be right. Hailey swore they stopped seeing each other."

Santana felt her stomach drop to her knees. "Hailey? Was she seeing Jackson behind Brittany's back?"

Mike nodded, looking slightly sick. "Yeah. I'm still not sure if Brittany ever found out. It would kill her if she knew. No way would Brittany want her little sister with him. Brittany couldn't see that he wasn't good enough for her but it would kill her to see Hailey get tangled up with that jerk. And when Tina and I confronted Hailey about it she swore it was just a one-time mistake and begged us not to tell Brittany. That's why I didn't mention it to you before."

"Wait, how can you tell that's Hailey and not Brittany? The picture isn't that clear." Santana asked. She was buzzing. She could finally feel a break coming and her instincts were humming.

Mike turned the picture so that it was facing her. "I know it's hard to tell, especially since you haven't seen them together much. But this is Hailey. They look a lot alike and with the picture not being clear, it's hard to tell but look at the height. Jackson is at least three inches taller than the girl in this picture. He and Brittany were almost the same height. Plus I recognize her jacket, it's Hailey's favorite, Brittany bought it for her for Christmas two years ago."

"Holy shit." Santana breathed. "Hailey and Jackson were having an affair? I can't believe she would do that to Brittany."

"I know right?" Mike said shaking his head. "Brittany gave up everything for her. Brittany could have really made a career for herself dancing; you know that. But she decided Hailey's future was more important than her own. She worked three jobs just to help pay for Hailey's college after their parents died. She gave up her dream to make sure Hailey could go to school and make something of herself.

She said Hailey was the smart one and had to have her chance. Brittany worked at the studio during the day and picked up extra shifts at the diner across the street. Did you know she even tried stripping for a while? But Tina and I got her out of that pretty quickly without any real damage. Brittany gave up everything for that girl."

Santana clenched her jaw. "And this is how Hailey repays her. Shit."

"Yeah. If you ask me, Brittany spoiled that girl. It's a shame really."

The wheels in her head were turning and she finally felt a small amount of hope blooming. She quickly stood to her feet to rush back to the station to find Puck. And she had to talk to Quinn. "Thanks Mike, you've been a huge help!"

"Santana," Mike said softly, stopping her in her tracks. "You're still in love with her aren't you?"

The brunette sighed. "I never stopped loving her."

xxxx

_Santana sprinted down the stark white corridor. She saw Quinn at the far end of the hall with tears streaming down her face. Tears…that couldn't be good. Santana felt a sob escape as she slowed her steps and looked to Quinn with pleading eyes._

"_Quinn, please, tell me she's not…Tell me Brittany's ok!"_

_Quinn wiped at her eyes and rushed the last few steps toward Santana and threw her arms around her. Normally they weren't the type of friends to show affection physically; that was Brittany's domain. But this was a special circumstance._

"_She's ok San. She's going to be fine."_

_Santana felt her knees go weak as she clung to Quinn almost desperately. Brittany was ok. But Quinn was still crying, something was wrong._

"_Then…what is it Q? What's wrong?"_

_Quinn pulled away but kept a firm grip on Santana's shoulders. "Brittany's ok San, but Grace. She didn't make it."_

_Santana felt the air leave her lungs. Brittany's sister was dead. Brittany was hurt and her sister was dead. Brittany was going to need her. She needed her right now. Santana had to get to her girl._

_Santana nodded and stepped away from Quinn. "Her parents? And Hailey? Where's Hailey? Brittany will want to know."_

_Quinn smiled sadly. "She's with my mom. Her parents are on the way. Santana, Brittany was driving."_

"_What?" Santana felt her stomach drop for what had to be the hundredth time that day. "Brittany was driving? Brittany doesn't drive Quinn. Why was Brittany driving?"_

"_I don't know." Quinn answered sadly. "But she's in there, you should go to her. You know she's going to need you."_

_Santana nodded. She squeezed Quinn's hand one time quickly as she stepped away and pushed Brittany's hospital room door open. She didn't expect Brittany to be awake. She had just been in a horrible car accident and her sister was killed. Santana expected Brittany to be unconscious or something but as she moved further into the room, she could make out the muffled sniffling coming from the bed._

"_Oh, B." she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."_

_Brittany just curled tighter into herself at hearing Santana's words. Her cries got a little louder and Santana was at a loss for what to do. She simply crawled up onto the bed and gently pulled her girlfriend closer to her, mindful of her injuries. Brittany clutched at Santana's jacket and buried her head in her chest and Santana just held her tighter. _

_When her cries finally quieted down, Santana could barely make out Brittany's whispered, "I killed her. I killed Grace. I killed my sister."_

"_Stop it Brittany!" Santana cried. "You didn't kill her! It was an accident B. It was a horrible accident. Grace wouldn't want you to blame yourself and you know it. You're the big sister now B, Hailey needs you. And God knows I need you. I love you Brittany. I love you."_

_Brittany whimpered slightly and lifted her chin to be able to look into Santana's eyes. The brunette felt tears pooling at the pain reflected in those normally bright eyes. _

"_You still love me? But I'm a killer San."_

_If the situation hadn't been so tragic, Santana would have laughed at Brittany describing herself as a killer. Brittany who refused to even stomp on a bug and insisted on people using mouse traps that didn't kill the mouse. _

"_Yeah, I love you B. And if you're a killer then I'm a virgin and we both know that's not true." Brittany smirked but just slightly. _

_Santana continued before Brittany said anything more. "I love you, always have, always will. I'm not going anywhere B. You're stuck with me."_

"_Looks like you're stuck with me too San." Brittany whispered._

"_And I wouldn't have it any other way babe." Santana whispered back, tightening her grip on her girlfriend. She immediately thanked any God out there that Brittany was safe and hadn't been taken from her as her girlfriend drifted off into sleep. _

_Brittany was released from the hospital two days later. Santana wanted to slap her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were distraught over the death of their oldest daughter of course, but they were also not hiding the fact that they held Brittany responsible._

_Grace was 19 and a freshman at Yale University. Her parents were extremely proud, which was to be expected. She was their shining hope that they were actually successful parents. Youngest daughter Hailey was nine and showed similar promise. Only Brittany seemed to be lacking the family brains and was seen as a disappointment. Grace was clearly the favorite and Brittany was the only person available to blame. _

_Santana was seething. She was ready to write the whole family off and convince her parents to allow Brittany to move in with them. Until Hailey was finally allowed to see her big sister. Brittany was Hailey's world and vice versa. The nine-year-old girl crawled into the hospital bed and the two sisters held each other. _

_Her parents could think whatever they wanted, as long as Brittany had Hailey and Santana, life would work out just fine. Sixteen-year-old Brittany swore then and there that whatever it took, nothing would touch Hailey. She would be protected. _

xxxx

It clicked.

Looking at the picture of Hailey with Jackson, it finally clicked for Santana. That nagging feeling that she was missing something finally made sense. Brittany was protecting her little sister. All the details weren't there yet but they were falling into place. Hailey had the perfect motive as the other woman. And Brittany would do just about anything to protect her.

Santana called Puck and told him to meet her in Quinn's office. When she finally arrived they were both there waiting on her. She didn't even give them a chance to greet her before she immediately told them what she had discovered.

"Brittany didn't kill Jackson. She's protecting Hailey." Santana exclaimed before Quinn had even risen from her desk chair.

"What?" Quinn exclaimed. "What on earth makes you think that? And more importantly, can you prove it?"

Santana nodded and pulled out the photo from the hotel surveillance tape. "I just showed this to Mike Chang and he's positive that it's Hailey in this picture and not Brittany. Brittany and Jackson were the same height, this girl is about three inches shorter than Jackson."

"Holy fuck." Puck whispered. "You mean Hailey and Jackson were messing around behind Britt's back? This dude just couldn't get any more fucked up."

"And it explains everything else too!" Santana said pacing. "It explains why there was only a trace of gunpowder on her hand, because she's not the one who fired five bullets into him. I'd bet money Brittany is responsible for that stray bullet in the floor away from the body. That's the only way she had any powder on her hand at all. One shot would leave just a trace right?"

Santana's enthusiasm was begging to catch on. "And Hailey could have easily used Brittany's ID to buy the gun. They look enough alike that even I would have to look twice at a picture." Puck exclaimed.

"That also explains why Brittany has been in such a rush to plead guilty and get it over with." Quinn muttered, rubbing her forehead. "She's trying to take the fall quickly and keep anyone from finding out the truth about Hailey."

Santana nodded. "Exactly. Now we just have to get Hailey to confess and we're golden."

Quinn laughed wryly. "And just what do you think are the chances of that? Hailey let Brittany be charged and she let her sit down in that jail. Hell, when Brittany was hurt in there she still didn't say a word. She's had plenty of chances to step up and do the right thing. I don't see her confessing now."

"You're right." Santana said softly. "We're just going to have to make sure Hailey realizes what's going to happen to Brittany if she doesn't come clean. Maybe if Hailey would happen to be present when we question Brittany again she'll slip up somehow or actually want to protect Britt for once."

"Just what do you have in mind Lopez?" Puck asked.

She smirked as she reached for her phone. Puck and Quinn exchanged a glance as they waited for the other line to connect.

"Hailey," Santana said quickly. "Britt's bond is being revoked. I think you need to get down here. Meet me at the jail."

The call lasted no more than a few seconds and when Santana put her phone away she glanced back up to her friends. "Ok," she said firmly. "Puck, go pick up Brittany and bring her to the station. I swear to God, one of them is going to tell me the truth today."

xxxx

A few hours later, Santana, Quinn, and Puck all stood outside of the interrogation room and watched as Brittany and Hailey sat quietly. Brittany had been brought in first and seemed perfectly calm until her sister was brought in.

As soon as the door opened and Hailey stepped in, Brittany's eyes widened and she immediately engulfed the younger woman in a hug. Santana squinted her eyes trying to read Brittany's lips as she whispered in Hailey's ear but couldn't make the words out.

"I hope we're not wrong about this." Quinn said softly. "Technically this could also be twisted to be Brittany's motive for killing Jackson."

Santana shook her head. "No, Brittany is protecting Hailey. I'm positive. I just hope we can get one of them to admit to that."

Puck placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Santana flipped a switch outside of the room to turn on the recording system inside and with a final glance to Quinn, squared her shoulders and the three entered.

"All right Brittany," Santana said once she took her seat across from the older blonde. "I think you've strung us on long enough. I'm sick of this, it's time to come clean."

Brittany looked up at her quizzically but didn't say anything. Hailey tensed. "What?" she exclaimed. "I thought you said you were going to help her!"

"She had her chance." Santana replied coldly. "There's no deal. The charge is going forward as first degree murder and since all evidence supports the theory that she planned this out months in advance, she'll in all likelihood spend the rest of her life in prison."

Hailey paled considerably and Brittany exhaled shakily. "But you said if the judge heard evidence about…"

"About what?" Santana asked incredulously. "About the baby?"

"Baby?" Hailey exclaimed. "What baby? Brittany, what baby?"

Santana turned to Hailey before Brittany could respond; her surprise was only slightly exaggerated. "You mean she didn't tell you? She was pregnant when Jackson allegedly knocked her down some stairs and caused her to miscarry. That was three months ago. She's been planning this and waiting for the perfect opportunity for three months now. No judge in the world will let her off with less than life in prison."

Hailey stared at Brittany, her jaw dropping. "You were pregnant? And he hurt you? Why didn't you tell me?"

Brittany had tears pooling in her eyes and she was clenching her jaw. Santana decided it was time to ratchet up her tactics.

"You didn't tell your own sister you were pregnant?" Santana said gawking. "What kind of sister are you? How could you keep something like that from her? You just don't think about anyone but yourself do you?"

"That's not true!" Hailey cried. "She never thinks about herself and you know it! Do you have any idea what she's given up for me?"

Santana laughed wryly. "Given up for you? What has she ever done for you? She killed your boyfriend for Christ's sake." With that comment, Santana whipped the hotel surveillance photos out and scattered them across the desk.

Hailey's eyes widened and she clamped her mouth shut. Brittany was staring at the table, tears falling silently.

"Look at her Brittany." Santana ordered. Brittany glanced sideways at her sister. "Look at what you've done to her. You've taken away the man she loved. Just because he didn't love you, you couldn't even let your own sister be happy. You don't care about Hailey. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You disgust me."

Santana's heart broke at the sight of Brittany's pained blue eyes staring back at her. Begging her not to hate her. Santana exhaled and clenched her fists, willing this to end soon.

"I'm sorry I ever loved you." The brunette said. Brittany visibly paled and flinched. Out of the corner of her eye, Santana saw Hailey also cringe.

"But San-"

Santana stood from her seat across from Brittany and glared at her. "I loved you. And you're a fucking murderer! You wasted my time! I wish I never met you."

Brittany whimpered, finally cracking. "Please don't say that Santana. Please!"

Santana continued to glare at the blonde across from her, hoping she was about to break and clear herself. "You killed him. I suppose I'm lucky it wasn't me." Santana noticed even Quinn flinch at that one. "And worse, you can't even let your sister be happy can you? Did you know Hailey was seeing Jackson behind your back when you killed him? You did, didn't you? You found out and went crazy because if you couldn't have Jackson, no one could right? Not even your own sister. You didn't even want your own sister to be happy!"

"No." Brittany said shaking her head frantically. "San, you-"

"Is that it?" Santana yelled, slamming her hands down on the desk, causing Brittany to jump. "You found out your boyfriend was fucking your little sister behind your back? Did you confront him about it? And when he said he was going to leave you for her, you killed him? I bet you even made up that whole baby story didn't you? You shot him five times just because he was going to leave you for your sister didn't you? Didn't you Brittany? Just one more smack in the face. First your parents pick Grace as the favorite and then your man picks your baby sister over you and you just couldn't take it could you? Always the skipped over middle sister. You're going to go away for the rest of your life because of some cheating, low life boyfriend and because you just couldn't get over yourself and cope with not being the favorite yet again! Tell me you killed him!"

"Stop it Santana! Stop it! She wasn't even there!" Hailey screamed, jumping to her feet.

As Santana stood there hovering over Brittany, she watched all the remaining color drain from the blonde's face and a pained gasp escaped her mouth. Brittany turned, almost in slow motion it seemed, to look at her sister. Santana straightened up and turned back to Hailey.

"She wasn't even there. Not until after." Hailey whispered.

"Hailey, no, don't _say_ anything!" Brittany exclaimed, panic rising.

Santana stepped closer to Hailey, Puck closing in as well with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. "He was using you wasn't he?" Santana said softly, her hostile act vanishing. "You thought he would leave her for you but he was just using you. So you killed him, didn't you? You're the one who bought the gun, that's you in the surveillance footage, not Brittany right?"

"Stop it Santana!" Brittany cried, rising to her feet. "You want a confession? Fine, I-I'll give you a confession. I did it; I killed him! I did it! I found out he was cheating and I killed him. I couldn't take any more after he hurt me and I lost the baby. I shot him and I'd do it again! Hailey had nothing to do with it, she wasn't even in the City, she-she was away at school, weren't you?"

Brittany stepped closer to Hailey, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Tell them Hailey, tell them you weren't even here. Tell them! I did it, I swear! I killed him. Quinn," she said whirling towards her desperately, hoping to find an ally. "I'll sign whatever you want me to sign, I did it! I killed him!"

"Stop it Brittany." Hailey said softly. "Just stop. I can't do this; I can't let you do this. Your whole life you've taken care of me, protected me. You gave up everything to make sure I could go to school, just go to _school_. You've always been such a good person. Let me be for once."

"Hailey…" Brittany cried, her voice cracking. "Don't…"

"I killed Jackson." Hailey said firmly, turning back to Santana. "I got the gun from one of those little guns shops outside the City. I used Brittany's ID because you have to be 21 to buy a gun. We look enough alike that no one questioned me. I killed him."

xxxx

_Hailey slipped into the apartment quietly. Brittany was working late, as usual and she knew Jackson would be there waiting. She could convince him to stay with her; she had to._

"_Hey baby, you're off early. So you should have plenty of time to clean up this fucking mess of a kitchen." Jackson called from the other room, hearing the door click closed. He stepped around the corner from the kitchen and his smiled faded. "Hailey? What are you doing here?"_

"_I just had to see you." She replied. "I wanted to apologize for the fight in the hotel, I was stupid. I'm sorry I got so upset. But I know you didn't mean those things you said either."_

_Jackson just shook his head. "But I did mean them. Look, you're a sweet kid, and you're an amazing fuck, but that's all. I'm not leaving Brittany. I love her and I'm going to make her see that we're perfect for each other. I'm not leaving her and she's not leaving me."_

_They argued. He began to taunt her for thinking she was more than just a fling. Before she realized what she was doing, she pulled the gun out and fired five times. Before she could squeeze the trigger one last time, she heard Brittany scream behind her._

"_Hailey? What have you done?" Brittany cried. _

_She rushed forward and grabbed the gun from her little sister's hands. At the sound of the last bullet being fired, both girls jumped. Brittany had no idea what had happened, how the gun fired in her hand but she quickly dropped the revolver to the ground. _

"_Oh my God." Brittany muttered, stepping closer to Jackson's unmoving body. She squatted down next to him and gently shook his shoulder. "Jack? Oh God, I think he's dead."_

"_No, no. He can't be. Oh fuck, what have I done? Brittany, what am I going to do? I killed him? I'll go to prison; I can't go to prison! Brittany, help me! Please!"_

_Brittany stood and shivered at the sight of the blood on her hand and quickly wiped it on her shirt. She looked back to her sister. Brittany would be the first to admit that she was not the brightest person but right then, she had what she knew was a stroke of genius._

"_Go." She said firmly. Hailey looked up at her, startled. "Go! Get out of here! Now!" She took Hailey by the arm and shoved her forcefully toward the door. "You were never here, do you understand me? Get out of here and don't look back. Go!"_

_Hailey spared one broken look over her shoulder at her sister before she ran out the door._

xxxx

Everyone in the room was stunned to silence. Hailey slumped wearily into her chair and Brittany was sobbing openly, her fists clenched in her hair, hunched over the table.

"Brittany doesn't even know how to use a gun. She grabbed it out of my hand and it just went off. She almost shot her own damn foot off." Hailey said with a small smile.

Brittany looked up at her sister, tears falling freely. There was no point in wiping them away. "Hailey-"

"I'm sorry Brittany." Hailey interrupted. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess and I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner. I shouldn't have let you sit in that jail cell. I'm just…I'm sorry. I swear I never intended for you to get involved."

Puck stepped closer to Hailey and took hold of her upper arm. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but Hailey Pierce, you're under arrest for the murder of Jackson Vicks."

Brittany shakily stood to her feet. Hailey threw a small, sad smile over her shoulder as Puck began to lead her away. "Don't worry about me Britt, I'll be fine. Take care of yourself for once ok?"

Santana, Quinn and Brittany found themselves alone in the room. No one knew quite what to do, all stunned by what had just happened. Brittany broke the silence.

"Santana," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "For the first time in my life…I think I hate you."

With that, Brittany turned and fled the room, leaving her two friends behind, staring after her.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – Ah, here it is, the final chapter, the wrap up I suppose. I really like Cop Santana so I'm contemplating another story with her, we'll see. Anyway, thanks so much for alerting, reviewing and reading. I really appreciate it! You peeps are stinkin' awesome!

Chapter 10

_"B, I'm so sorry!" Santana exclaimed. "I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen. Finn doesn't mean anything to me!"_

"_Oh yeah?" Brittany cried, tears streaming from her sad blue eyes. "Then why did you kiss him? If you kiss people who don't mean anything to you, does that mean I don't mean anything to you?"_

_Santana furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly, trying to follow Brittany's logic. "What? Brittany, Finn doesn't mean anything to me; you mean everything to me! And I'm so, so sorry! Please, tell me what to do to make this up to you. I'll do anything B, please!"_

_Brittany sighed and scuffed her shoe on the ground. "I think maybe I just need a little time to myself right now."_

_Santana felt her stomach drop. "Um, ok B. Whatever you need."_

_Brittany nodded and turned to exit the McKinley hallway and head home. Santana watched her go, her shoulders drooping slightly. She immediately knew she had to fix this. She couldn't lose Brittany, not when they were finally a couple and happy._

_Santana gave the blonde the night to collect her thoughts and cool down. First thing the following morning, a Saturday, Santana left her house early and began the mile walk to Brittany's house. It was the longest walk of her young life._

_The brunette stood on the front stoop of the Pierce residence and fidgeted nervously. She cocked a brow and glanced sideways spotting Mrs. Pierce's flower garden. Santana reached over and plucked a single daisy from the garden, knowing they were Brittany's favorites._

_Santana steeled her nerves and rang the doorbell. When Mrs. Pierce opened the door, she looked surprised to see the Latina standing there._

"_Santana? What on earth are you doing? I didn't think you knew what a doorbell was. Come on in then, Brittany is upstairs moping. See if you can straighten her out, we're having company over later and I don't want her sour mood to spoil it."_

_Santana nodded and silently slipped up the stairs to her girlfriend's bedroom. She stood out in the hall wondering if she should knock or just walk right in. She opted for a soft knock before simply popping her head in._

"_B? Can I come in?"_

_Brittany was sitting cross-legged on her bed and plucking at a loose string on her comforter. She shrugged and nodded slightly. _

_Santana nodded once and moved to sit across from the blonde on the bed. The two sat in silence for a time, neither sure how to proceed. Santana finally extended the daisy toward Brittany._

"_I brought you this." She said softly. "I know they're your favorites."_

"_You picked that from my mom's flower garden."_

_Santana's jaw dropped. Brittany, who was thought by most to be dense, could always manage to see right through her and could pick up on the littlest things. _

"_Wh-h-how did you know that?" Santana asked surprised._

_Brittany finally raised her head to meet the brunette's gaze. She shrugged again. "I saw you. I was watching for you out the window and I saw you pick it."_

"_You were watching for me?" Santana asked softly. She felt her heart swell at the thought that this girl knew her so well that she knew she would show up first thing in the morning to apologize._

"_Of course I was watching for you San. I've been waiting for you. I knew you would come over. Just like I know you're sorry about kissing Finn in front of the whole school."_

"_I am!" Santana exclaimed. "I really am! I don't know what I was thinking. I was so stupid Britt, I'm just so sorry."_

_Brittany nodded, still looking sad. "You were like…dumber than me. And that says a lot." She said softly._

_Santana felt tears stinging her eyes. She cringed because Santana Lopez didn't cry, ever. "I'll go." She said, her voice cracking with the effort of keeping her tears at bay. "I'm so sorry Brittany. You deserve so much better than me. I totally understand why you're breaking up with me and I don't blame you."_

"_What?" Brittany exclaimed. "San, I'm not breaking up with you! My feelings are a little hurt but I know you're sorry. I don't want to break up."_

_Santana wiped furiously at her face and the offending tears spilling freely. "You don't? You don't want to break up with me?"_

_A small smile finally broke on Brittany's face. She nudged Santana's knee gently with her toes. "Of course not silly. Why would I want to break up with you? So you kissed Finn. I'm totally a better kisser than him. I can't break up with you. Who else knows that daisies are my favorites? And who else would take me to feed the ducks every Saturday morning when it's like our only time to sleep in? And who else takes the time to help me learn that tacos and sombreros aren't the right answers on every Spanish question? It would be pretty stupid of me to let you go now wouldn't it?"_

_Santana laughed through her tears. "Yeah, I guess it would be. 'Cause I'm totally smokin' hot and you most definitely are not stupid."_

_The brunette threw herself forward into Brittany's arms, landing in her lap, and let her tears flow freely. The blonde just held Santana as she cried and stroked long fingers through her dark locks._

"_Thank you." Santana mumbled into Brittany's lap. "Thank you for forgiving me. I don't deserve you B."_

_Brittany chuckled. "I could never stay mad at you San. I'm pretty sure you're like my soul mate or something."_

_Santana could only nod as she held tightly to the blonde._

xxxx

Mike called Santana that evening to let her know that Brittany was safe and sound with them. She was of course distraught over Hailey's now certain fate.

"I think maybe she just needs a little time to herself." He replied softly after Santana asked if she could come by and see Brittany.

Santana choked out her agreement and hung the phone up. She then turned to her next best option, a bottle of scotch and Quinn. An hour later she was sitting sullenly in Quinn's living room after the blonde wrestled the bottle from her grip.

"You've had enough Santana!" Quinn exclaimed, pouring the remaining liquor down the drain. Santana whimpered as the expensive alcohol slipped away.

"Quinn, do you have any idea how much that bottle of scotch cost me? Like a whole fucking week's pay!"

Quinn smirked. "Then you either do not make enough money or you have horrible taste in alcohol."

Santana dropped her head into her hands once she managed to get herself back into the living room. "Fuck you Fabray."

"Wise words indeed." Quinn replied with a chuckle. She cautiously dropped onto the couch next to the brunette, leaning with her elbows on her knees.

Santana glanced up at her friend. Quinn hated the sight of the broken woman beside her. Santana Lopez was not one for self-pity or depression and Quinn was certain she hadn't seen the Latina this upset in years.

"She hates me. I've just pretty much guaranteed her sister will spend the rest of her life in prison. Which is the only thing she seemed to care about since she went to great lengths to protect her. She should fucking hate me."

Quinn sighed. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you San. She's just upset and probably in shock. She'll come around."

"I didn't hurt her intentionally." Santana cried miserably. "I swear; I was only trying to help her. I had good intentions."

"Well, you know what they say," Quinn replied softly. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Santana once again felt tears biting at her eyes. "You're not really helping right now Quinn. I've probably lost her for good this time. What do I do?"

Quinn turned so that she was facing Santana. She narrowed her eyes and reached for her friend's hand. "You want to know what you do now? You do what you weren't given the chance to do ten years ago. You go and fucking win your girl back!"

"Yeah?" Santana replied with a hiccup, somewhat surprised at Quinn's language. "Do you think I can?"

"What?" Quinn replied with a smile. "You doubt the wooing abilities of one Santana Lopez? San, Brittany is still in love with you, I'd bet my law license on it. You two are like Romeo and Juliet or Guinevere and Lancelot."

"Quinn," Santana whined. "Those stories had horrible endings!"

"Ok, ok." Quinn replied with a chuckle. "So you're more like Shrek and Fiona. What I'm trying to say is that you two are epic. If ever there were two people meant to be together, it's you and Britt. I'm certain of it."

Santana met Quinn's firm gaze and chewed her bottom lip. "Yeah?"

Quinn smiled and squeezed the brunette's hand. "Yeah. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to sleep off this drunken funk, tomorrow morning you're going to get yourself up and put on some clean clothes that don't have coffee or cheap scotch stains on them and you're going to go over there and tell her how you feel. You're going to beg if you have to, but you are going to win her back."

"Yeah." Santana replied with a nod. "I'm totally badass. I got this…I think."

xxxx

Santana finally spotted Brittany sitting in the only park in the City, gazing out over the pond and watching the ducks. Santana smiled at the sight and cautiously made her way closer to the blonde. She stood off to the side slightly, still watching Brittany. From the way the blonde tensed, Santana was certain her presence was known.

"Hey Britt." Santana said softly. She dropped onto the ground beside her, both gazing intently at the water.

"How did you find me?" Brittany asked softly after some time had passed.

Santana chuckled. "I asked Mike and he said you went for a walk. I knew I would find you here. Plus…you forgot to take the GPS bracelet off your ankle. So basically…I low jacked you." The brunette was disappointed that Brittany didn't even crack a smile.

Brittany just nodded once, never breaking her gaze from the ducks in the pond. Santana sat quietly for a few more minutes, the silence beginning to frighten her. She sighed and extended her hand towards the blonde, a single daisy in her hand.

"I got you this. I remembered they're your favorites." Santana said hopefully. Brittany took the flower but didn't say anything. She twirled it between her fingers as she continued to stare intently out across the water.

"Britt," Santana said softly, the silence finally getting to her. "I know you probably hate me, and I understand. But I just want you to know that I had the best of intentions. I just wanted to help you. I love you and…I just couldn't let you go down without a fight. I'm sorry that Hailey got hurt in the process but when it comes down to it, I'm always going to do whatever is necessary to protect you. I love you Brittany, always have, always will."

Brittany exhaled and turned her face away from Santana. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, daisy still firmly in her hand, before turning her head back to the pond once again. Santana was certain what was left of her heart was shattering at the blonde's continued silence. But she refused to just leave. Not until Brittany asked her to and even then, not without a fight.

"I didn't know Hailey was seeing Jackson, not until you showed me the pictures." Brittany said softly. "I actually thought she had found out the baby or something and had done it to protect me but…guess I was wrong."

Santana groaned at the realization that she had inadvertently broken the news to Brittany that Hailey and Jackson were cheating behind her back. "Britt, I-I'm so sorry. When I showed you those pictures, I thought it was you. I didn't know it was her, I swear!"

Brittany just shrugged but didn't say anything more. Santana sighed, shaking her head. "I've really fucked things up worse than I thought." She laughed ruefully. "I'm so sorry, for everything. But please believe me, I was just trying to help you. I was trying to do the right thing! I would never hurt you like this on purpose. I swear my intentions were good."

The two sat in silence a while longer. Brittany continued to twirl the daisy between her fingers while still gazing out across the water. Santana would occasionally glance at the blonde but kept quiet. She was slightly encouraged that Brittany hadn't asked her to leave yet.

"I was just trying to do the right thing too." Brittany finally whispered. "She's my sister, I couldn't let her go to prison. I'm the big sister, I'm supposed to protect her."

"B," Santana replied softly. "Of course you want to protect her but you can't take responsibility for something that she did, not something like this."

Brittany sighed again. "I should have told her about Jackson. If I had just told her, she wouldn't have gotten involved with him and she wouldn't have had any reason to be there that night! I was just trying to protect her, I didn't want her to worry about me. If I had told her about the baby she never would have started dating him and she wouldn't have killed him. It's my fault Santana! She didn't know and that's my fault! It's my fault she got involved with him, that's why it was right for me to take responsibility."

Santana once again felt tears stinging at the sight of Brittany losing control in front of her. The blonde was crying openly and had buried her head in her knees, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Santana placed a tender hand on Brittany's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "B, I have to say, and hear me on this, I'm really, really sorry that Hailey is now in this mess. But I'm honest to God relieved that you're not with him any more. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but the thought of you with that man makes me want to kill him myself! And if he had to die to get you away from him, I'm ok with that. I'm just sorry you're in so much pain. If I could do anything to help you, you know I would."

"Why?" Brittany wailed miserably. "Why? I don't deserve your help Santana. I should have left him years ago and now because I didn't I lost a baby and my sister's life is ruined. Just like Grace! Fuck, I'm such a horrible sister. My parents were right. I killed Grace and now I might as well have killed Hailey!"

Santana scooted closer and grabbed Brittany, turning her. She fiercely gripped the blonde's face between her hands and shook her slightly.

"Brittany, stop it. This is not your fault! You didn't kill Grace and you didn't force Hailey to kill Jackson. I don't know everything that Jackson said or did to you but he's got you convinced that you're not worth saving and it's just not true. Everything I said in that room, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it! I've never met anyone like you, it's like you think of _everyone_ before you think of yourself. And it kills me to know that I've had a hand in hurting you."

Santana pulled Brittany into her arms and rocked her gently as the blonde continued to sob. She ran her fingers through blonde hair and cooed softly until Brittany was calm again.

"I'll help hire a good attorney for Hailey." Santana whispered. "I'll fight for her too, just like I fought for you. I'll drive Quinn so crazy she'll beg her boss to reduce the charges. I promise, I'll do everything I can."

Brittany remained silent but didn't pull away.

"I know you hate me right now B, and like I said, I don't blame you." Santana continued in a shaky voice. "And I don't expect you to forgive me any time soon. I'm just asking you to try. I love you Brittany; I never stopped loving you. And I'm going to wait for you. I'm going to keep waiting for you."

Brittany sighed, still burrowed in Santana's arms. "I don't think I could ever really hate you San. I hurt you too. So I guess maybe we're sorta even now. I'm still mad at you but I know you were just trying to help me. Now will you please take this GPS thing off my leg? It's creepy that people can high jack me."

Santana genuinely laughed for the first time since Brittany wandered back into her life. She pressed a kiss to Brittany's hair and nodded.

"And I'm staying with Mike and Tina for a while." Brittany mumbled. "Until we figure things out."

"Ok B." Santana replied, not releasing the blonde. "That's fair and probably a very smart idea. But I'm giving you fair warning, I'm not going anywhere and I'm not letting you wander away from me again. I'm going to fight for you."

"So you didn't mean it when you said you were lucky it wasn't you? You're not afraid of me?" Brittany whispered.

Santana sighed. "I'm really sorry I said all of that, I didn't mean it. I'm not afraid of you, just afraid of losing you again. I can't lose you again Brittany. I love you and I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much. You deserve so much more than me, but I'm asking you to give me a chance to make things up to you."

Brittany was quiet for a few moments before she shifted slightly to look up into Santana's dark eyes. "Ok. As long as you promise to never bring Bad Cop Santana out again. I don't like her very much."

Santana chuckled again and kissed the blonde's forehead. "Deal."

xxxx

_18 months later_

Brittany took her final bow to the cheers of the crowd. She had been cast as the lead dancer in what turned out to be a huge hit show. She smiled as the crowd stood to its feet, the applause filling the theater. That night was her last show. She was leaving to pursue other dreams.

She had trained her heart out getting herself in shape for the role after numerous auditions. The day she learned she had won the part was one of the happiest of her life. And now, as the curtain dropped, she smiled knowing that while one dream had just been fulfilled, many more were about to be.

Brittany accepted the congratulations of the cast and crew as she made her way to her dressing room. As the lead dancer, she was actually given her own private dressing room, much like the dressing room of the leading actress of the show. As she slipped inside, the scent of flowers immediately invaded her senses. She smiled, taking in the sight of numerous bouquets scattered around the room.

She picked up the card closest to her and her smile widened, seeing they were from Quinn and Puck. Brittany turned finally and glanced to her makeup table, smile growing impossibly wider at the sight of one lone daisy resting in front of her mirror. She walked over and picked it up, running a finger reverently over its petals.

Brittany could still hear the loud bustle out in the hallways but the sound of a soft knock on her dressing room door wasn't lost in the noise. She didn't even turn as the door opened slightly and was then closed softly.

"You were amazing baby."

Brittany's smile didn't fade as she brought the daisy to her nose and inhaled its gentle scent. She felt arms reach around her waist and embrace her from behind. A soft kiss was placed on her neck.

"Thanks for the flower." Brittany said turning slightly. "I love it."

"Anything for you. Did I mention you were amazing? And fucking hot?"

Brittany giggled and turned completely, wrapping her arms around her lover. "You mentioned that. But I'm pretty sure you're bogused or something."

"Biased B, biased." She replied with a chuckle.

Brittany furrowed her brow as if thinking the correction over but just shrugged finally. "Whatever, you totally are."

The brunette laughed. "I totally am. I'm so proud of you; you were incredible and the audience loved you! Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you want to give all this up to go back to just teaching dance?"

"I'm sure." Brittany replied without hesitation. "I'm hot stuff now, Mike is totally going to have to expand and pay me a ton of money with all the business I'm going to bring to his studio. Besides, I want to be close to home. I'm going to have a wife to keep an eye on soon. And that…I want more than anything I've ever wanted ever."

The two shared a soft smile, lost in each other's eyes and pinkies linked. Brittany sighed finally.

"Are you ok? You ready to go home B?"

The blonde let her mind quickly wander over the last year and a half of her life. Hailey was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on a reduced charge based on what Quinn called, a heat of passion crime. Brittany visited her every month at the women's prison a few hours away.

Santana, true to her word, had fought for the blonde and her time with Jackson seemed like no more than a distant memory. They took their time reestablishing their relationship but were now happier than either felt they had a right to be. It was as if the ten years apart helped them appreciate the time they did now have even more.

"Yeah San." Brittany replied with a soft smile, pulling the smaller woman in close and pressing their lips together gently. "I'm ready. Let's go home."


End file.
